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LINCOLN  ROOM 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


MEMORIAL 

the  Class  of  1901 

founded  by 

HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 
HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


The  Master  and  His  Servant 


COMPARATIVE  OUTLINE  SKETCHES 

—  of  — 

The  Redeemer  of  Mankind,  and  the 
Emancipator  of  a  Race 

—  with  — 

Relative  Antecedent  and   Subsequent   Events 

and  Persons  Compared 

\ 

—  showing  — 

The  most  Wonderful  and  Pleasing  SIMILITUDES  Ever 
Recorded  in  the  History  of  Mankind 


By 
J.  T.  HOBSON,  D.D.,  LL.B. 

Author  of  "The  Lincoln  Year  Book,"  and  "Footprints 
of  Abraham  Lincoln." 


Nineteen  Hundred  and  Thirteen 

The  United  Brethren  Publishing  House 

Dayton,  Ohio 


Copyright  by  J.  T.  Hobson 
1913 


I     I  J*     /K 


Introduction 

A  religious  writer  of  note  says :  "Down  deep  in  our 
nature  there  exists  a  tendency  to  seek  among  all  inter- 
esting objects  points  of  resemblance.  This  tendency 
to  metaphor,  and  the  universal  delight  in  parables,  com- 
parisons, and  figures  of  speech,  are  no  mere  freaks  of 
man's  fancy.  They  have  their  formation  in  the  mind 
and  method  of  Deity." 

Referring  to  Christ,  the  late  Joseph  Parker,  of  Lon- 
don, said,  "All  things  to  him  were  suggestive,  significant, 
symbolic."  Christ  did  not  think  it  sacrilegious  to  com- 
pare spiritual  with  natural  things.  At  one  time  he  said, 
:'Whereunto  shall  we  liken  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
with  what  comparison  shall  we  compare  it?"  He  then 
compared  it  to  the  marriage  of  a  king's  son.  If  Christ 
made  such  comparisons  should  it  be  thought  a  thing  in- 
credible if  comparisons  be  made  between  the  Head  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  and  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  a 
great  nation  at  the  most  interesting  and  critical  time  of 
its  existence?  Parker  also  said:  "The  power  of  com- 
parison is  to  be  cherished  and  developed.  Compare  your 
Savior  to  all  things  beautiful,  noble,  and  grand." 

Among  Old  Testament  characters  there  are  many 
striking  types  of  Christ,  whose  lives,  from  this  stand- 
point, are  a  most  interesting  study.  Joseph,  Moses, 
David,  and  Jonah  are  good  illustrations.  In  choosing  a 
modern  character  whose  life  has  points  of  similitude  to 
that  of  Christ,  the  world  is  challenged  to  furnish  a 
better  one  than  that  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


4  Introduction 

No  life  or  character  fully  typifies  the  life  and  rank  of 
the  Son  of  God.  The  parables  given  by  Christ  will  not 
hold  good  if  too  closely  applied.  They  were  given  to 
illustrate  certain  phases  of  a  subject.  Parables  and 
illustrations  must  not  be  strained  beyond  their  purpose. 
Types  and  comparisons  of  Christ  will  fail  in  some  re- 
spects. The  contrasts  between  Christ  and  Lincoln  are 
a  thousand  times  greater  in  favor  of  Christ  than  the 
similitudes. 

It  has  been  a  pleasure  to  study,  and  to  seek  out,  the 
corresponding  points  of  resemblance  in  the  manner 
herein  presented.  Events  in  the  life .  of  Christ  sug- 
gested some  phases  of  Lincoln's  life,  and  some  parts  of 
Lincoln's  life  suggested  some  phases  of  Christ's  life. 
The  author  did  not  create  these  remarkable  similitudes. 
They  are  facts,  and  he  is  responsible  only  for  placing 
them  in  the  words  and  order  given.  The  design  is  not 
to  minify  the  character  and  mission  of  Christ,  nor  to 
unduly  magnify  the  character  and  work  of  Lincoln. 

The  life  of  Jesus  Christ  should  be  reflected  in  our 
lives.  Abraham  Lincoln  unconsciously  lived  the  reflected 
life  and  spirit  of  the  Master.  The  author  hopes  he 
will  not  be  unjustly  criticized  in  attempting  to  place  the 
divine  character  in  such  proximity  to  the  human.  Christ 
was  divine  and  human,  while  Lincoln  was  only  human, 
but  under  the  divine  guidance  of  Providence,  as  he  be- 
lieved and  stated  at  different  times. 

It  has  not  been  the  author's  purpose  to  strain  these 
comparisons  beyond  facts  and  reason.  The  facts  are 
independently  stated  in  two  paragraphs  under  each  sub- 
head, one  not  referring  to  the  other,  so  that  an  independ- 
ent outline  history  of  each  character  is  given.  The 


Introduction  5 

reader  can  judge  for  himself  whether  or  not  the  points 
of  comparisons  are  well  taken. 

The  antecedent  and  subsequent  comparisons  of  per- 
sons and  events,  the  author  thinks,  are  not  irrelevant, 
but  will  add  to  the  interest  of  the  book. 

Many  works  on  Biblical  and  Lincoln  literature,  as 
well  as  miscellaneous  books,  magazines,  and  newspapers, 
have  been  consulted  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume, 
to  which  the  author,  in  this  general  way,  acknowledges 
his  indebtedness.- 

It  is  hoped  that  the  followers  of  Christ,  as  well  as 
the  admirers  of  Lincoln,  will  find  pleasure  and  profit  in 
reading  these  sketches,  and  that  all  may  have  the  mind 
and  spirit  of  the  Master,  and  that  of  one  of  his  most 
illustrious  servants. 

J.  T.  HOBSON. 

Alexis,  Illinois. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Antecedent   Events. 
The   Beginning.  .The  Advent   of  Man.  .Introduction  of  Evil.  .Bondage 

and  Deliverance . .  Subsequent  History    9 

CHAPTER   II. 
The   Forerunner. 
A  Radical  Messenger.  .The  Message.  .Results.  .A  Governor's  Dilemma 

.  .After  the   Execution    IS 

CHAPTER   III. 

Birth  and  Early  Life  of  the  Master  and  His  Servant. 
Lowly   Birth.  .Honored  Mother.  .Charge  of   Doubtful   Paternity.  .Half- 
or    Step-Brothers    and    Sisters.  .Poverty's    Vale..  The    Carpenter's 
Trade..  Three  Places  of  Abode..  Born  for  the   Times.  .Inspiration 
and   Preparation . .  Perception   of  Future   Mission li 

CHAPTER   IV. 
Group  of  Characteristics. 

Personal  Appearance .. Lofty  Character  and  Habits.. Man  of  Prayer.. 
Derangement.  .The  Good  Samaritan.  .Grief  at  Death  of  a  Friend 
. .  Unknown  Qualities  t8 

CHAPTER  V. 

Miscellaneous  Incidents. 

The  Widow's  Son.. The  Lunatic  Boy.. Care  for  Sparrows ..  Zaccheus .. 
The  Interceding  Son..  The  Stranger's  Discourse.  .Regard  for  Wo- 
man. .Love  for  Children.  ."Praise  Belongs  to  God" 87 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Public  Mission  and  Teaching. 

The  Inauguration.  .Doing  the  Will  of  the  Father.  .Originality — Man- 
ner of  Illustration.  .Appeal  to  the  Scriptures.  .Warning  Against 
False  Doctrine.  .Severe  Reproofs.  .The  Unfortunate.  .Humility. ...  44 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Fundamental  Principles  Taught. 

Truth.  .Love.  .A  High  Standard.  .The  Sabbath ..  Doing  and  Knowing.. 
A  Short  Creed . .  Forgiveness . .  The  Great  Debt . .  Th«  Unpardon- 
able Sin  §4 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Rejection   and   Rebellion. 

Divided  Opinions.  .Malignant  Epithets.  .Seeking  a  S'igti .  .  Reject««N  «f 
the  Corner-stone.  .A  Pathetic  Appeal — Willing  t«  Die..  An  Aban- 
doned Plot  ..  W 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Dark   Days. 

Forsaken.. A    Depleted    Treasury.. A    Divided   House.. A   Man    of    Sor- 
rows . .  A   Burden-Bearer    74 

CHAPTER    X. 

Emancipation. 
A  New   Commandment.  .Crossing  the   Line.  .Proclamation   of   Freedom 

.  .Weakness  of  the   Law.  .The  Transfiguration 79 

CHAPTER  XI. 
The   End  Drawing  Near. 

Going  to  Jerusalem ..  The  Triumphal   Entry ..  Last   Meeting   with   Dis- 
ciples   and    Cabinet.. A    Memorial     Instituted.  . Gethsemane 85 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Crucifixion  and  Assassination. 
A  Wicked  Conspiracy.  .Going  to  the  Cross  and  to  the  Theater..  "It  is 

Finished" .. Love  of  the  Victims.  .Rending  of  the  Veil 90 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Incidents  and  Effects  of  the  Tragic  Deaths. 
Impressions    on    the    People.. Fate    of    the    Conspirators.  .''Who    Sliall 

Declare  His  Generation  ?" . .  Good  from  Evil 95 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Burial,  Resurrection,  and  Ascension. 
Preliminaries   to   Interment.  .The    Body    Entombed.  .Will  the   Body  be 

Stolen  ? . .  He   Lives . .  Forty  Days . .  The   Ascension 100 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Reconstruction. 
New    Conditions ..  The    Foundation ..  Composition    of    the    Structure.. 

Two    Theories    105 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  Present  Age. 
Our    Inheritance.  .Our    Opportunities .. Tables    Turned,    No.    1.. Tables 

Turned,  No.  2   109 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

Ultimate  Triumphs. 

Light  of  the  World.. The  Greater  Union.. The  Good  Time  Coming 115 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Judgment. 
Reversal    of    Opinion.. The   Exalted    Name.. The    Grand    Review.. The 

Master  Rewards   His  Servant 118 

CHAPTER   XI 

Golden   Words    of   The    Master   and    His    Servant 122 


8 


The  Master  and  His  Servant 

CHAPTER  I. 

ANTECEDENT  EVENTS. 
The  Beginning. 

IT  is  known  only  to  the  Creator  how  many  worlds 
were  in  existence  before  our  planet  was  created. 
Before  the  advent  of  man  the  earth  had  been  supplied 
with  air,  light,  and  heat,  and  was  long  in  course  of 
preparation  for  the  coming  of  man  to  develop  its  vast 
resources.  The  fowls  of  the  air,  the  beasts  of  the  field, 
the  fishes  of  the  waters,  the  vegetable  and  the  mineral 
world  awaited  his  coming. 

THAT  portion  of  the  earth  called  the  Old  World  had 
long  been  inhabited,  and  had  a  wonderful  history,  writ- 
ten and  unwritten.  The  discovery  of  the  New  World 
was,  in  the  providence  of  God,  one  of  the  greatest  events 
in  the  achievements  of  man.  The  long  ages  awaited  the 
visitation  of  intelligent  men  to  develop  the  vast  agri- 
cultural and  mineral  resources,  and  throw  them  into  the 
world's  commerce. 

The  Advent  of  Man. 

IN  due  time  the  first  man  and  his  helpmate,  as  the 
representatives  of  the  human  race,  were  created  and 
entered  upon  their  career  to  "subdue  and  get  dominion." 
They  were  free  to  act,  yet  they  were  under  law,  and 
T.vere  responsible  for  their  own  welfare  and  happiness, 
and,  in  a  large  degree,  that  of  their  posterity. 

9 


10  Master  and  His  Servant 

THE  advent  of  the  white  man  to  the  newly  discovered 
Western  World,  as  a  permanent  settler,  was  a  new  and 
important  period  in  the  progress  of  human  affairs.  He 
loved  liberty,  and  early  planted  the  principles  of  freedom 
in  the  New  World.  He  was  largely  responsible  to  the 
future  inhabitants  for  his  conduct. 

Introduction  of  Evil. 

IT  was  an  awful  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  newly 
inhabited  earth  when,  through  the  consent  of  the  federal 
heads  of  the  human  race,  the  forbidden  fruit  of  sin  was 
allowed  a  place  among  them.  The  viris  of  its  poison 
affected  all  the  succeeding  generations,  and  occasioned 
untold  sorrow,  suffering,  crime,  a  great  deluge,  mighty 
conflicts  and  revolutions  in  the  ages  following. 

SOON  after  the  discovery  of  the  so-called  "New 
World,"  it  was  very  unfortunate,  upon  the  part  of  some 
of  the  early  settlers,  that  the  seeds  of  an  exotic,  poison- 
ous plant,  human  slavery,  "the  sum  of  all  villainies," 
was  allowed  to  take  root  in  the  virgin  soil,  whose  fruit 
\\.'.s  destined  to  poison  the  whole  country,  occasion  great 
disorders,  crimes,  a  mighty  deluge  of  death,  and  the  de- 
struction of  untold  millions  of  property. 

Bondage  and  Deliverance. 

AFTER  a  varied  experience  of  many  years  of  progress 
and  retrogression,  the  Hebrew  people,  God's  chosen 
representatives  of  the  human  race,  became  involved  in 
Egyptian  bondage.  Their  lives  were  made  burdensome. 
They  were  ruled  without  representation.  Their  burdens 
became  more  and  more  oppressive  through  the  tyranny 
of  King  Pharaoh.  The  king  was  jealous  of  the  rapid 


Antecedent  Events  11 

increase  of  the  Hebrew  people,  and  their  promise  of 
future  power.  The  people  appealed  for  relief,  but  their 
burdens  were  increased.  The  people  rebelled.  A  leader, 
Moses,  was  chosen  to  deliver  them  from  the  unjust  op- 
pression of  the  king.  After  a  hard  struggle  they  were 
delivered  from  their  oppressors  and  allowed  to  go,  and 
entered  upon  a  career  of  independence.  When  Moses 
surrendered  his  commission  as  their  leader,  he  delivered 
a  very  touching  farewell  address. 

AFTER  the  English  colonies  in  America  had  flourished 
for  a  time,  although  often  troubled  by  Indian  wars  and 
other  causes,  they  at  length  found  themselves  cruelly 
oppressed  under  the  despotic  power  of  King  George  III., 
of  England.  The  king  was  jealous  of  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  colonies.  They  were  unjustly  taxed 
without  representation.  The  colonists  appealed,  but  fur- 
ther burdens  were  imposed  upon  them.  They  finally 
rebelled.  A  leader,  George  Washington,  was  chosen. 
After  a  number  of  battles  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence was  declared,  and,  finally  after  a  long  struggle, 
the  king  yielded,  and  the  American  people  achieved  their 
independence.  When  Washington  surrendered  his  com- 
mission as  commander-in-chief  he  delivered  a  beautiful 
and  affectionate  farewell  address.  The  seal  of  state 
chosen  was  the  words  "E  pluribus  Unum,"  with  the 
statues  of  Liberty  and  Justice  on  one  side,  and  on  the 
other  a  picture  of  Israel  escaping  the  tyranny  of  Pharaoh 
at  the  Red  Sea. 

Subsequent  History. 

AFTER  the  delivery  of  the  Hebrew,  or  Israelitish  peo- 
ple, from  Egyptian  bondage  they  had  a  long  and  varied 


12  Master  and  His  Servant 

history,  covering  many  years,  under  different  laws,  and 
under  different  leaders.  They  were  often  engaged  in 
war  with  other  nations,  and  had  commotions  among 
themselves,  occasioned  by  the  old  cause — sin.  They  had 
strong  men  among  them,  who  were  leaders  and  prophets, 
Among  the  many  noted  reformers,  prophets,  rulers  and 
leaders  were  Moses,  Caleb,  Joshua,  Samuel,  Saul,  David, 
Solomon,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel  and  Daniel,  who  kept 
the  people  intact  by  exhortations,  warnings,  and  pro- 
phetic utterances  of  a  brighter  day  in  human  history. 

AFTER  the  deliverance  of  the  American  people  from 
the  oppression  of  Great  Britain  they  had  a  long  and 
eventful  history.  They  were  engaged  in  a  number  of 
wars/  Great  and  perplexing  questions  had  to  be  settled, 
caused,  chiefly,  by  the  continued  presence  of  human 
slavery.  There  were  many  great  statesmen  who  cham- 
pioned great  doctrines  and  theories  of  government. 
Among  the  noted  statesmen  were  George  Washington, 
John  Adams,  John  Quincy  Adams,  Thomas  Jefferson, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  John  C.  Calhoun,  Daniel  Webster, 
Andrew  Jackson,  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  Henry  Clay, 
Jefferson  Davis,  Charles  Sumner,  and  William  H.  Se- 
ward.  Some  of  these  were  truly  prophets  as  well  as 
reformers  and  statesmen. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  FORERUNNER. 
A  Radical  Messenger. 

THE  last  prophet  of  the  old  dispensation  was  John 
Baptist.  He  was  of  good  ancestry.  His  father  was  a 
priest,  and  his  mother  was  of  priestly  descent.  His 
habits  were  clean.  He  was  strictly  temperate,  avoiding 
all  intoxicants.  He  was  trained  for  the  ministry.  A 
portion  of  his  time  was  spent  in  solitude  and  self-denial, 
living  the  life  of  a  hermit.  His  food  was  plain,  and  his 
dress  was  that  of  the  old  prophets.  He  realized  that  he 
had  a  great  work  to  do,  and  his  mission  in  life  lay 
heavily  upon  him.  He  was  uncompromising  with  the 
sins  of  his  country,  and  his  denunciation  of  wickedness 
was  radical  and  pungent. 

ONE  of  the  most  noted  reformers,  near  the  close  of 
the  slavery  system  in  the  United  States,  was  John  Brown. 
He  was  of  Puritan  ancestry,  the  sixth  in  descent  from 
Peter  Brown,  one  of  the  passengers  of  the  "Mayflower." 
His  father  was  a  trustee  of  Oberlin  College.  His  mother 
was  of  distinguished  ancestry.  Richard  J.  Hinton,  a 
noted  author,  says,  "John  Brown  represented  in  his  own 
person  the  best  blood  and  character  to  be  found  in 
America."  He  was  a  clean  man,  a  total  abstainer  from 
tobacco  and  intoxicants.  He  received  a  partial  training 
for  the  ministry.  -  A  portion  of  his  life  was  spent  in 
seclusion.  At  a  late  period  of  his  life  it  was  declared 
that  "he  looked  like  one  of  the  old  prophets."  Wi$  posi- 

13 


14  Master  and  His  Servant 

tion  on  the  slavery  question  was  uncompromising.  His 
great  mission  of  opposition  to  human  slavery  was  an 
inspiration  to  his  life.  He  cared  nothing  for  the  praise 
or  condemnation  of  men.  He  held  himself  accountable 
to  God  alone,  and,  as  he  understood  his  will,  tried  to 
execute  it.  He  cared  nothing  for  law  when  it  stood  in 
the  way  of  right  and  humanity. 

The  Message. 

JOHN  BAPTIST  was  aware  that  there  was  to  be  a  great 
change  in  the  religious  order  of  things.  He  believed 
that  the  wrath  of  God  was  at  hand,  and  yet  that  his 
wrath  was  tempered  with  mercy.  His  sterling  cry  was, 
"Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand."  He 
said,  "I  am  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness, 
Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord."  To  some  he  said, 
"Oh,  ye  generation  of  vipers."  Again,  "Bring  forth 
fruits  meet  for  repentance/''  Again,  "The  ax  is  laid  unto 
the  root  of  the  trees :  therefore  every  tree  which  bringeth 
not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire." 
He  was  preparing  the  way  for  the  coming  of  One  who 
was  mightier  than  he,  the  One  who  would  "bring  de- 
liverance to  the  captives,  and  open  the  prison  to  them  that 
are  bound,"  and  inaugurate  a  new  dispensation  of  reform 
and  worship  in  the  new  spiritual  administration. 

JOHN  BROWN  regarded  human  slavery  as  a  great  na- 
tional evil  strongly  entrenched  in  law,  in  social,  religious, 
political  and  commercial  relations.  It  had  long  been  a 
source  of  strife.  The  people  were  expecting  a  crisis. 
He  "laid  the  ax  at  the  root  of  the  tree"  of  slavery,  and 
declared  that  compromises  were  at  an  end,  that  the 
downfall  of  slavery  was  at  hand.  He  actually  began  the 


The  Forerunner  15 

war  of  emancipation.  He  was  unconsciously  preparing 
the  way  for  one  who  was  to  come  after  him,  one  who 
was  mightier  than  he,  and  who  would  deliver  a  race  of 
four  millions  from  the  galling  chains  of  human  bondage, 
and  start  a  new  era  of  national  reform  and  progress 
such  as  the  world  had  not  yet  seen. 

Results. 

WHILE  the  public  preaching  of  John  Baptist  was  plain 
and  uncompromising,  his  private  reproofs  were  equally 
plain  and  severe.  He  boldly  reproached  sin  in  high 
places,  and  at  last  found  himself  in  conflict  with  the 
authorities.  He  rebuked  Governor  Herod  Antipas  for 
his  ungodly  living.  Then,  according  to  Josephus,  as  a 
pretext  that  John  Baptist  was  a  dangerous  subject  to 
the  state,  and  fearing  a  rebellion  through  his  influence, 
he  was  sent  to  prison,  and  later,  but  through  no  desire 
of  the  governor,  he  was  ordered  to  be  executed.  . 

JOHN  BROWN  had  no  faith  in  politicians,  nor  in 
churches  that  fellowship  slavery.  His  reproofs,  privately 
and  publicly,  were  radical.  Because,  upon  their  request, 
he  liberated  some  human  beings  about  to  be  resold  into 
slavery  in  Missouri,  he  was  declared  an  outlaw,  and  a 
reward  was  offered  for  his  arrest.  Later,  because  of 
his  boldness,  and  even  rashness,  in  making  a  raid  with 
an  armed  force  upon  the  fortifications  of  slavery,  he 
was  overpowered,  arrested,  cast  into  prison  as  a  danger- 
ous subject  to  the  state,  and  sentenced  to  be  executed. 

A  Governor's  Dilemma. 

GOVERNOR  HEROD  ANTIPAS,  of  Galilee,  was  in  trouble. 
Although  John  Baptist  had  reproved  him  for  his  sins. 


16  Master  and  His  Servant 

yet  he  had  afterwards  declared  that  John  Baptist  was  "a 
just  and  holy  man."  Now  it  was  expected  that  he 
should  order  his  execution;  he  was  under  oath  to  do 
so,  though  not  morally  bound,  for  the  execution  involved 
something  not  taken  into  account  in  his  oath — the  crime 
of  murder.  Later  we  find,  however,  that  this  same 
Herod  shamefully  figures  as  an  enemy,  in  his  official  re- 
lation, to  the  Redeemer  of  mankind. 

ALTHOUGH  John  Brown  had  sharply  reproved  Gov- 
ernor Henry  A.  Wise,  of  Virginia,  for  his  connection 
with  slavery,  yet  Governor  Wise  said  in  a  speech  at 
Richmond,  after  his  interview  with  Brown,  just  after 
the  Harper's  Ferry  raid :  "They  are  mistaken  who  take 
Brown  to  be  a  mad  man.'  He  is  a  bundle  of  the  best 
nerves  I  ever  saw.  He  is  a  man  of  clear  head,  of  cour- 
age, fortitude,  and  simple  ingeniousness.  He  is  cool, 
collected,  and  indomitable.  He  inspired  me  with  great 
trust  in  his  integrity  as  a  man  of  truth."  And  yet 
Governor  Wise  was  expected  to  sign  the  death-warrant 
of  such  a  man,  an  act  legally  right,  but  morally  wrong. 
While  Brown  was  charged  with  insurrection,  treason  and 
murder,  in  less  than  a  year  and  a  half  Governor  Wise 
sanctioned  the  treasonable  acts  of  his  own  State  in  re- 
sisting the  authority  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  engaged 
in  treason  against  the  government  on  a  larger  scale  than 
that  for  which  John  Brown  suffered  martyrdom. 

After  the  Execution. 

AFTER  the  execution  of  John  Baptist  the  work  of  re- 
ligious reform  went  on.  Jesus  Christ  carried  on  the 
redemptive  work  initiated  by  John  Baptist.  Governor 
Herod  Antipas  declared  that  Jesus  Christ  was  John  Bap- 


The  Forerunner  17 

tist  risen  from  the  dead.  Jesus  said  of  John  Baptist. 
"Among  all  men  born  of  woman  there  has  not  risen  a 
greater  than  John  the  Baptist,"  and  that  "he  was  more 
than  a  prophet."  He  stands  out  prominently  as  the  fore- 
runner of  Jesus  Christ,  and  occupies  a  prominent  place 
in  the  scheme  of  human  redemption.  Within  three  years 
Jesus  Christ  surrendered  his  own  precious  life  as  a  sacri- 
fice for  the  salvation  of  the  human  race. 

AFTER  John  Brown's  execution  the  work  he  inaugu- 
rated went  rapidly  forward.  Although  his  body  was 
"mouldering  in  the  grave,"  yet  "his  soul  was  marching 
on."  Governor  Robinson,  of  Kansas,  declared  at  the 
unveiling  of  the  John  Brown  monument  at  Osawatomie, 
in  1877,  'The  soul  of  John  Brown  was  the  inspiration 
of  the  Union  armies  in  the  emancipation  war."  Horace 
Greeley  said,  "Let  no  one  doubt  that  history  will  accord 
an  honorable  niche  to  old  John  Brown."  After  the 
Civil  War  was  over,  and  its  results  declared,  although 
Governor  Wise  had  signed  John  Brown's  death  warrant, 
he  said  to  a  Union  general:  "John  Brown  was  a  great 
man,  sir.  John  Brown  was  a  great  man."  A  little 
more  than  five  years  after  Brown's  execution  Abraham 
Lincoln's  precious  life  was  sacrificed  for  the  cause  of 
human  liberty. 


CHAPTER  III. 

BIRTH   AND    EARLY   LIFE   OF  THE   MASTER  AND 

HIS  SERVANT. 

Lowly  Birth. 

JESUS  CHRIST,  the  Redeemer  of  mankind,  was  born 
in  the  little  town  of  Bethlehem,  in  the  hill  country  of 
Judea.  The  event  occurred  at  night,  in  the  winter,  in. 
a  cavern-stable,  for  "there  was  no  room  in  the  inn,"  nor 
in  a  comfortable  home  for  the  birth  of  the  wonderful 
Child.  There  was  no  physician  present  on  the  occasion, 
and  tradition  says  that  Joseph  was  out  seeking  help  when 
Mary  gave  birth  to  her  child.  Later  the  family  fared 
better,  for  it  is  stated  that  the  Wise  Men  from  the  East 
"came  into  the  house"  and  saw  the  young  child  and  his 
mother.  A  large  church  building  with  an  extensive  base- 
ment, including  the  cavern-stable,  marks  the  place  where 
Christ  was  born. 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,  the  Emancipator  of  a  race,  was 
born  near  the  village  of  Hodgenville,  in  the  hill  country 
of  Kentucky.  The  event  occurred  at  night,  in  the  winter, 
in  a  forlorn  hovel  with  a  dirt  floor,  one  door,  and  no 
window,  for  there  was  "no  room"  in  the  mansions  of 
the  rich  or  the  palaces  of  the  great  for  such  a  man  to 
be  born.  A  few  women  were  there,  but  no  physician 
was  present  when  Nancy  gave  birth  to  her  son.  Thomas, 
her  husband,  was  away  from  home  at  the  time.  It  is 
said  that  a  neighbor  removed  the  family  to  his  comfort- 
able home,  and  for  a  time  cared  for  them.  A  memorial 

18 


Birth  and  Early  Life  19 

hall  and  museum  has  been  erected  on  the  spot  where  the 
cabin  stood,  marking  the  place  where  Lincoln  was  born. 

Honored  Mother. 
JOSEPH,  the  husband  of   Mary,   and   foster-father  of 

Jesus  Christ,  was  called  a  "just  man,"  and  was  of  royal 
descent.  His  occupation  was  that  of  a  humble  village 
carpenter.  He  does  not  figure  as  prominently  in  the 
history  of  Christ  as  does  the  mother.  Mary  was  an 
orphan.  Wealth  and  station  she  did  not  have.  Tradition 
says  she  was  distinguished  for  industry,  charity,  devo- 
tion and  modesty;  that  she  had  a  melodious  voice,  and 
a  face  and  form  of  incomparable  beauty.  She  was 
slender,  and  slightly  above  medium  height.  She  had  a 
fair  complexion,  blond  hair,  a  well-proportioned  nose, 
rich  hazel  eyes,  ruddy  lips,  and  full  of  kindness  when 
she  spoke.  Her  religious  nature  was  highly  cultivated. 
When  it  was  made  known  to  her  concerning  the  marvel- 
ous birth  which  was  to  take  place,  and  at  that  time  being 
only  betrothed  to  Joseph,  her  future  husband,  she  was 
greatly  embarrassed,  and  sorely  perplexed.  Joseph  was 
also  puzzled  and  greatly  mortified.  The  conditions,  how- 
ever, were  finally  explained  to  the  satisfaction  of  both 
Mary  and  Joseph.  Mary  finally  said,  "Be  it  unto  me 
according  to  thy  word."  Later  her  overflowing  heart 
burst  forth  into  that  noble  maternity  song  called  the 
Magnificat : 

"My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord, 
And  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour, 
For  ht  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  his  hand- 
maiden : 


20  Master  and  His  Servant 

For,  behold,  from  henceforth  all  generations  shall 
call  me  blessed. 

For  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done  to  me  great  things ; 

And  holy  is  his  name. 

And  his  mercy  is  on  them  that  fear  him  from  gen- 
eration to  generation. 

He  hath  shewed  strength  with  his  arm ; 

He  hath  scattered  the  proud  in  the  imagination  of 
their  hearts. 

He  hath  put  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats, 

And  exalted  them  of  low  degree." 

Christ  had  a  very  tender  regard  for  his  mother.  What 
holy  lessons  she  must  have  taught  him  at  their  home  in 
Nazareth!  He  was  an  obedient  son.  They  were  much 
in  each  other's  company.  She  and  Jesus  were  invited 
guests  at  a  marriage  in  Cana,  where  he  performed  his 
first  miracle.  It  is  supposed  that  Joseph  was  dead  at 
this  time.  At  the  close  of  his  life  Christ  made  provision 
for  the  support  of  his  widowed  mother.  Mary,  the 
mother  of  Christ,  is  the  most  highly  honored  of  all 
women. 

t 

THOMAS,  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  was  an  hon- 
orable man.  His  occupation  for  many  years  was  that  of 
a  carpenter  and  cabinet  maker.  He  was  not  noted  for 
thrift,  or  great  strength  of  character.  He  has  not  been 
so  much  honored  by  the  historian  and  the  general  public 
as  his  wife.  The  son  seemed  to  derive  his  chief  char- 
acteristics from  his  mother.  She  was  early  left  an  or- 
phan. She  is  said  to  have  been  of  medium  height, 
weighing  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds,  with  dark  hair, 
beautiful  eyes,  a  sweet  sensitive  mouth,  and  a  kindly  and 


Birth  and  Early  Life  21 

gentle  manner.  She  was  refined  and  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary intelligence,  reading  all  the  books  she  could  obtain. 
She  daily  read  the  Bible,  and  her  conduct  was  in  accord- 
ance with  its  precepts.  There  was  much  in  her  nature 
that  was  heroic,  and  she  seemed  at  times  as  if  looking 
far  away,  seeing  what  others  did  not  see. 

"Ah,  mother  of  as  grand  a  son 
As  ever  battled  in  the  van, 
To  prove  the  brotherhood  of  man, 
Such  lives  as  thine  are  never  done. 

We  can  but  wonder,  we  who  read 

The  past  with  backward,  searching  look, 

Its  pages  open  as  a  book, 

If  thou  foresaw  where  he  would  lead? 

When  baby  ringers  touched  thy  breast, 

If  ever  in  thy  musing  then 

Thou  dreamst  that  hand  would  guide  the  pen 

Whose  stroke  would  free  a  race  opprest?" 

Lincoln  loved  his  mother  dearly.  She  died  when  he  was 
only  nine  years  old,  but  she  had  taught  him  many  useful 
lessons.  He  said  in  his  mature  years,  "All  I  am,  or  hope 
to  be,  I  owe  to  my  angel  mother."  "I  can  remember 
her  prayers,  and  they  have  always  followed  me."  The 
name  of  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln  is  one  of  the  most  cher- 
ished in  the  annals  of  American  history.  Lincoln's  step- 
mother was  always  precious  to  him,  taking  his  mother's 
place  in  a  time  of  great  need,  and  after  she  became  a 
widow  he  made  provision  for  her  support. 


22  Master  and  His  Servant 

Charge  of  Doubtful  Paternity. 

IN  his  infancy  Jesus  innocently  dwelt  under  the  charge 
of  doubtful  paternity.  It  was  arranged  in  the  Divine 
counsels  that  the  human  race  should  be  redeemed  by  one 
under  the  law,  and  by  one  without  sin,  one  upon  whom 
the  law  had  no  claim.  Such  an  one,  therefore,  must  be 
divine  and  human — a  God-man,  having  a  Divine  Father 
and  a  human  mother.  Such  a  being  could  be  produced 
in  no  other  way.  The  fact  of  the  miraculous  conception 
of  Jesus  Christ  was  not  accepted  by  some  at  that  time, 
and  his  enemies  then,  and  ever  since,  have  charged  him 
as  an  illegitimate  being.  God  could  create  a  human 
being  without  a  human  father  to  accomplish  his  purposes 
as  easily  as  he  created  man  in  the  beginning  without 
father  or  mother.  The  birth  of  Christ  was  divine  and 
legitimate.  It  was  prophesied  by  Isaiah,  seven  hun- 
dred years  before,  that  a  virgin  should  bring  forth 
the  world's  Redeemer.  The  heavenly  angels  announced, 
and  approved,  the  joyful  event  of  his  birth.  Infancy 
is  forever  dignified,  and  motherhood  greatly  honored  by 
Jesus,  the  sweet  babe  of  Bethlehem. 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN'S  life  was  beclouded  with  the 
false  charge  of  doubtful  paternity.  He  did  not  possess 
the  records  to  show  when  his  father  and  mother  were 
married.  His  opponents  saw  the  opportunity  to  belittle 
him,  and  they  spread  the  story  that  he  was  not  only  of 
humble  origin,  as  he  himself  publicly  acknowledged,  but 
was  a  nameless  child.  "A  Youth's  History  of  the  Civil 
War,"  written  in  the  interests  of  the  South,  at  the  close 
of  the  Rebellion,  says  of  Lincoln :  "He  had  the  mis- 
fortune not  to  know  who  his  father  was ;  and  his  mother, 
alas,  was  a  person  to  reflect  no  honor  upon  her  child." 


Birth  and  Early  Life  23 

Authors  who  were  friends  of  Lincoln^,  and  who  other- 
wise wrote  excellent  histories  of  him,  were  guilty  of 
accepting  false  rumors  on  these  delicate  matters  without 
looking  for  the  records.  Authenticated  facts  and  various 
records  have  been  found  which  place  beyond  all  doubt 
the  legal  marriage  of  Lincoln's  father  and  mother,  the 
birth  and  lawful  paternity,  not  only  of  the  immortal 
President,  but  also  that  of  his  "angel  mother." 


Half-  or  Step-Brothers  and  Sisters. 
IT  is  supposed  that  Mary  was  Joseph's  second  wife, 
and  that  there  were  children  by  the  first  wife,  or  that 
Mary  bore  children  after  the  birth  of  Christ.  These 
brothers  and  sisters  are  referred  to  by  the  Gospel  writers. 
Therefore,  Jesus  had  half-  or  step-brothers  and  sisters, 
and  was  reared  with  them  in  the  family  at  their  home 
in  Nazareth,  of  Galilee. 

AFTER  the  death  of  his  wife,  Thomas  Lincoln  was 
married  the  second  time  to  a  noble  widow  who  had  a 
son  and  two  daughters.  With  his  own  sister,  and  these 
step-sisters  and  step-brother,  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
reared.  "Brother  Abe"  was  quite  a  favorite  of  these 
new  additions  to  the  family  at  their  home  near  Gentry- 
ville,  Indiana. 

/ 

Poverty's  Vale. 

THE  life  of  Christ  was  characterized  by  poverty  from 
his  birth.  He  was  poor,  simple  and  plain.  He  was 
practically  acquainted  with  every  phase  of  the  trials  of 
the  poor,  the  tempted  and  the  persecuted.  "He  made 
himself  of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon  himself  the  form 
of  a  servant,"  and  "humbled  himself,"  "that  he  might 


24  Master  and  His  Servant 

be  touched  with  the   feelings  of  our  infirmities/'  "that 
he  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful  high  priest/'' 

THE  early  life  of  Lincoln  was  one  of  the  poorest  of 
the  poor.  He  often  labored  as  a  servant,  or  hired  hand. 
He  said  his  early  life  was  characterized  by  a  single  line 
of  Grey's  Elegy — 

"The  short  and  simple  annals  of  the  poor." 
He  was  a  man  from  the  common  people,  and  came  up 
through  the  valley  of  poverty,   and  became  practically 
acquainted  with  the  various  conditions  of  the  poor  that 
he  might  be  a  kind  and  merciful  ruler. 

The  Carpenter's  Trade. 

THE  youthful  Galilean  dignified  manual  labor  by  fol- 
lowing the  trade  of  his  foster-father,  that  of  a  humble 
carpenter.  The  carpenter's  trade  at  that  time  included 
the  making  of  plows,  yokes,  and  other  articles.  The 
Son  of  man,  in  the  little  shop  at  Nazareth,  with  his 
own  hands,  fashioned  plows  and  yokes  for  the  people 
who  needed  them.  Being  engaged  in  common  toil  helped 
him  to  know  what  was  in  man,  and  how  to  sympathize 
with  the  toiling  masses. 

IN  his  early  life  Abraham  Lincoln,  part  of  the  time, 
followed  the  trade  of  his  father,  that  of  a  carpenter  and 
cabinet  maker.  Besides  working  on  the  farm,  and  doing 
general  carpenter  work,  they  made  cabinets  and  cup- 
boards for  the  people.  Years  ago  in  that  community 
the  writer  saw  cupboards  in  the  homes  of  old  people 
which  were  made  by  the  Lincoln  father  and  son.  The 
University  of  Illinois,  at  Champaign,  has  on  exhibition 
an  ox-yoke  made  by  Abraham  Lincoln.  Coming  up  from 


Birth  and  Early  Life  25 

the  common  working  classes  enabled  him  to  sympathize 
with  that  great  majority  he  was  afterward  to  represent. 

Three  Places  of  Abode. 

CHRIST  was  born  at  Bethlehem,  in  Judea,  where  his 
early  days  of  infancy  were  spent;  was  reared  to  man- 
hood at  Nazareth,  in  Galilee,  and  spent  the  active  por- 
tion of  his  life  at  "his  own  city,"  Capernaum.  He  died 
while  temporarily  engaged  at  Jerusalem,  the  capital  of 
the  nation.  Capernaum,  the  scene  of  so  many  incidents 
in  the  life  of  Christ,  has  long  since  passed  away,  its 
very  site  not  being  positively  known. 

LINCOLN  was  born  near  Hodgenville,  in  Kentucky, 
where  his  early  days  were  spent ;  was  reared  to  early 
manhood  near  Gentry ville,  in  Indiana;  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  active  life  in  Springfield,  Illinois.  He 
died  while  temporarily  residing  at  Washington,  the  capi- 
tal of  the  nation.  New  Salem,  one  of  the  early  homes  of 
Lincoln  in  Illinois,  where  he  kept  a  store  and  postoffice, 
has  "vanished  like  a  mist  in  the  morning,"  its  very  site 
being  deserted  by  human  habitation. 

Born  for  the  Times. 

JESUS  CHRIST  was  born  for  the  times,  "in  the  fulness 
of  time,"  as  Paul  says.  'The  scepter  had  departed  from 
Judea,"  according  to  the  prophecy  of  the  dying  Jacob. 
The  civil  power  and  authority  of  the  Jews  had  been 
already  usurped  by  the  Romans.  All  the  prophecies  con- 
cerning his  coming  had  been  fulfilled.  General  expecta- 
tion prevailed  that  the  times  were  ripe  for  his  coming. 
The  Greek  language,  being  almost  universally  used,  was 
favorable  for  the  diffusion  of  a  new  form  of  religion. 


26  Master  and  His  Servant 

Through  all  the  centuries  man  had  devised  no  effective 
plan  for  the  redemption  of  the  world.  Reason,  philoso- 
phy, science,  and  the  light  of  nature,  had  failed  to  bring 
"life  and  immortality  to  light,"  and  reconcile  man  to  his 
Maker.  There  were  some  things  the  law  of  Moses 
could  not  do.  In  due  time  Christ  was  born  into  the 
world,  who  would  become  "the  desire  of  all  nations," 
and  a  witness  to  the  truth.  To  Pilate  he  said,  'To  this 
end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world, 
that  I  should  be  a  witness  to  the  truth." 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  was  surely  born  for  the  times, 
and  for  his  peculiar  mission.  No  man  at  the  time  of  his 
presidency  was  so  fitted  in  his  temperaments  for  the 
situation  of  the  country  and  the  government.  The  slav- 
ery question,  and  its  side  issues,  had  been  debated  and 
compromised  in  vain.  The  churches  and  other  moral 
agencies  had  failed  to  settle  the  great  controversy.  The 
people  were  expecting  a  crisis  and  a  leader.  "The  ful- 
ness of  time"  came,  and  Lincoln  stood  at  the  helm  of 
affairs.  President  McKinley  said,  "He  was  the  greatest 
man  of  his  time,  especially  approved  of  God  for  the 
work  he  gave  him  to  do."  Bishop  Simpson  said,  "By 
the  hand  of  God  he  was  especially  singled  out  to  guide 
our  government  in  those  troublesome  times,  and  it  seems 
to  me  that  the  hand  of  God  may  be  traced  in  many 
events  connected  with  his  history."  Chief  Justice  Waite, 
of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  said,  "I  have 
always  thought  Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  man  born  for  his 
time."  Lincoln  said,  concerning  his  own  life,  "I  have 
found  all  my  life,  as  Hamlet  says, 

There  is  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  lives, 
Rough  hew  them  how  we  will/  " 


Birth  and  Early  Life  27 

Inspiration  and  Preparation. 

CHRIST,  at  his  boyhood  home,  was  being  trained  for 
his  life  work  in  comparative  obscurity.  We  know  but 
little  of  his  life  during  the  thirty  years  spent  in  the 
obscure  village  of  Nazareth.  We  know  that  he  passed 
through  all  the  natural  stages  of  development.  It  is 
recorded  that  "the  child  grew,  and  waxed  strong  in 
spirit,  filled  with  wisdom,  and  the  grace  of  God  was  upon 
him."  He  may  have  attended  school  after  receiving  his 
first  lessons  from  Mary  and  the  instructions  of  Joseph, 
but,  as  Dr.  Stalker  says,  "It  was  only  a  poor  man's  edu- 
cation." No  doubt  he  attended  worship  at  the  synagogue 
each  Sabbath.  "Three  great  books  lay  ever  before  him, 
the  Bible,  Man,  and  Nature." 

LINCOLN'S  early  days  were  spent  in  comparative  ob- 
scurity, but  he  was  being  unconsciously  trained  for  his 
great  mission.  Many  of  his  earliest  lessons  were  learned 
from  his  mother's  knee.  His  schooling  was  of  the  poor- 
est kind,  and  of  short  duration.  He  was  a  student  of 
the  Bible,  Man  and  Nature.  His  surroundings  and  asso- 
ciations, seemingly,  were  not  calculated  to  develop  great- 
ness, but  God  has  his  purposes  and  chooses  his  own 
workmen.  The  Honorable  Henry  Watterson  says :  "Born 
as  lowly  as  the  Son  of  God,  reared  in  penury  and 
squalor,  with  no  gleam  of  light,  nor  fair  surroundings, 
it  was  reserved  for  this  strange  being,  late  in  life,  with- 
out name  or  fame,  or  seeming  preparation,  to,  be  snatched 
from  obscurity,  raised  to  supreme  command  at  a  supreme 
moment,  and  entrusted  with  the  destiny  of  a  nation 
.  .  .  .  If  Lincoln  was  not  inspired  of  God,  then  there 
is  no  such  thing  on  earth  as  special  providence,  or  the 
interposition  of  divine  power  in  the  affairs  of  men." 


28  Master  and  His  Servant 

Perception  of  Future  Mission. 

THE  Man  of  Galilee  in  early  life  had  perceptions  of 
his  future  mission.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years,  when 
on  his  first  visit  to  Jerusalem  with  his  parents  to  attend 
the  Passover,  he  became  separated  from  them.  They 
found  him  in  the  temple  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the 
doctors,  both  hearing  them  and  asking  them  questions. 
After  his  mother  had  expressed  her  and  her  husband's 
anxiety,  we  have  his  first  recorded  words,  "Know  ye 
not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  business?"  We 
learn  from  these  words  that  he  had  conceptions  of  his 
divine  mission — "to  be  about  his  Father's  business."  He 
returned  to  Nazareth,  and  was  subject  to  his  parents 
for  eighteen  years  longer,  all  the  while,  no  doubt,  study- 
ing great  problems  to  be  connected  with  his  eventful 
mission. 

IT  is  related  that  in  his  early  life  Lincoln  had  pre- 
monitions of  some  day  becoming  President  of  the  United 
States,  that  he  was  to  become  a  man  of  destiny.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two,  after  witnessing  a  slave  market  in 
New  Orleans,  where  human  beings  were  sold  to  the 
highest  bidder,  he  said,  "If  ever  I  have  a  chance  to  hit 
that  institution  I  will  hit  it  hard."  A  few  years  later 
he  heard  a  remarkable  sermon  on  prophecy,  in  which 
the  minister  spoke  of  the  breaking  down  of  civil  and 
religious  tyranny,  and  the  downfall  of  American  slavery. 
Lincoln  afterwards  commenting  on  the  sermon  said  that 
he  was  deeply  impressed  that  he  should  be  somehow 
strangely  mixed  up  with  the  fulfillment  of  the  preacher's 
prophecies.  President  McKinley  said,  "The  purposes  of 
God,  working  through  the  ages,  were,  perhaps,  more 
clearly  revealed  to  him  than  any  other." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

GROUP  OF  CHARACTERISTICS. 
Personal  Appearance. 

THE  Gospel  writers  say  nothing  about  the  personal  ap- 
pearance of  the  Man  of  Galilee,  and  the  early  fa- 
thers were  not  uniform  in  the  matter.  Some  have  asserted 
that  he  was  in  person  the  noblest  of  all  the  sons  of  men, 
that  his  face  was  capable  of  winning  all  hearts.  Art 
has  taxed  itself  to  paint  his  beauty.  The  most  ancient 
fathers,  however,  have  acknowledged  that  he  was  not  at 
all  handsome,  that  his  outward  form  had  nothing  that 
could  attract  consideration  or  respect.  It  was  prophe- 
sied by  Isaiah  that  "he  hath  no  form  nor  comeliness ;  and 
when  we  shall  see  him,  there  is  no  beauty  that  we  should 
desire  him."  The  passage  in  the  Psalms,  "Thou  art 
fairer  than  the  children  of  men,"  some  claim,  relates  to 
the  beauty  of  Christ  according  to  his  divinity.  Richard 
Watson  said,  "The  truth  probably  is,  that  all  which  was 
majestic  and  attractive  in  the  person  of  our  Lord,  was  in 
the  expression  of  his  countenance,  the  full  influence  of 
which  was  displayed  chiefly  in  his  confidential  inter- 
course with  his  disciples."  We  might  add  that,  perhaps, 
many  whom  he  relieved  saw  something  beautiful  in  his 
face  which  others  did  not  see.  To  every  Christian  heart 
he  is  "the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand,  and  the  one  alto- 
gether lovely." 

FROM    all    accounts    Abraham    Lincoln    was    a    very 
homely  looking  man.    He  was  about  six  feet,  four  inches 

29 


30  Master  and  His  Servant 

tall,  and  usually  weighed  about  one  hundred  and  sixty 
pounds.  His  body  was  shrunk  and  shrivelled,  and  he 
was  stoop  shouldered.  His  forehead  was  narrow,  but 
high,  and  his  hair  was  dark.  His  cheeks  were  leathery 
and  his  ears  were  large.  His  lower  lip  \vas  thick,  and 
there  was  a  lone  mole  on  the  right  cheek.  He  had  an 
olive  complexion.  His  arms  and  legs  were  unusually  long 
in  proportion  to  his  body.  Mr.  Herndon,  his  law  partner 
for  twenty  years,  says,  "He  was  odd,  but  when  that  grey 
eye,  and  face,  and  every  feature  were  lit  up  by  the  in- 
ward soul  in  fires  of  emotion,  then  it  was  that  all  those 
apparently  ugly  features  sprang  into  organs  of  beauty,  or 
sunk  themselves  into  a  sea  of  inspiration  that  some- 
times flooded  his  face."  Walt  Whitman,  the  poet,  who 
was  familiar  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  said :  "None  of  the  artists 
or  pictures  have  caught  the  deeper,  though  subtle  and 
direct  expression  of  this  man's  face.  There  is  some- 
thing else  there."  We  may  add  that  many  whom  he 
relieved  when  in  great  distress,  saw  in  his  kindly  face 
what  others  did  not  see. 

Lofty  Character  and  Habits. 

THE  character  of  the  Man  of  Galilee  was  of  the 
highest  type.  His  personal  habits  were  clean  and  in 
keeping  with  his  exalted  character.  Having  the  divine 
nature,  his  human  character  was  sinless,  and  the  em- 
bodiment of  all  that  was  excellent  and  good.  "No 
scholar  or  scientist,  no  poet  or  seer,  but  lauds  his  moral 
greatness  and  his  spotless  life."  Pilate,  the  judge  at  his 
trial,  said,  "I  find  no  fault  in  this  man."  All  the  New 
Testament  writers,  and  the  early  church  fathers,  attest 
his  noble  qualities.  Galileo,  Kepler,  Bacon,  Newton, 
Milton,  Rousseau,  and  Napoleon  Boneparte  pay  homage 


Group  of  Characteristics  31 

to  his  high  character.  Benjamin  Franklin  said,  "His  re- 
ligion and  morals  are  the  best  the  world  has  ever  seen." 
All  Christians  unite  in  paying  the  highest  tributes  of 
praise  to  the  matchless  character  of  Him  "whose  name 
is  above  every  name." 

THE  moral  character  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  of  a 
high  order.  His  private  life  was  above  reproach,  and 
his  honesty  was  proverbial.  He  had  no  vices.  He  did 
not  swear,  drink  intoxicants,  gamble,  chew  or  smoke 
tobacco.  Honorable  J.  H.  Barrett,  the  first  Lincoln  his- 
torian, says,  'Very  few  in  this  world  have  ever  more 
truly  lived  the  life  of  purity,  of  charity,  of  universal 
good  will,  of  gentle  forgiveness,  of  self  denying  devo- 
tion to  the  interests  of  humanity,  of  kindness  to  the  poor, 
of  sympathy  for  the  oppressed,  and  of  submission  to  the 
Divine  will,  as  enjoined  by  the  precepts  and  example  of 
Christ."  Mr.  Herndon  said,  "Sometimes  it  appeared  to 
me  that  Lincoln's  soul  was  just  fresh  from  the  presence 
of  its  Creator."  General  Sherman  said,  "Of  all  the  men 
I  ever  met  he  seemed  to  possess  more  of  the  elements 
of  greatness  combined  with  goodness  than  any  other." 
Dr.  Stone,  his  family  physician,  at  Washington,  said, 
"Mr.  Lincoln  is  the  purest  hearted  man  with  whom  I 
ever  came  in  contact." 

Man  of  Prayer. 

JESUS  was  preeminently  a  man  of  prayer.  He  lived 
the  life  of  prayer.  He  not  only  prayed  himself,  but 
urged  others  to  pray,  and  instructed  them  how  to  pray. 
He  had  much  to  say  on  the  subject  of  prayer.  He  ad- 
vised secret  prayer  by  saying,  "Enter  into  thy  closet,  and 
when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father."  Just 


32  Master  and  His  Servant 

before  beginning  his  first  missionary  journey  through 
Galilee,  Mark  tells  us,  "In  the  morning,  rising  up  a  great 
while  before  day,  he  went  out,  and  departed  into  a  soli- 
tary place,  and  there  prayed."  On  another  occasion  he 
continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God.  His  prayer,  as 
recorded  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  John,  is  a  most 
wonderful  prayer,  and  its  surroundings  are  full  of  great 
interest.  His  prayer  on  the  cross  for  the  forgiveness  of 
his  murderers  is  the  most  wonderful  example  of  prayer 
on  record. 

MR.  LINCOLN  was  early  taught  to  pray  by  his  mother. 
He  not  only  prayed  for  himself,  but  requested  others  to 
pray  for  him.  He  prayed  for  others,  and  advised  others 
to  pray  for  themselves.  In  a  letter  he  advised  his  old 
father,  then  on  his  deathbed,  to  pray,  saying  that  God 
"would  not  forget  the  dying  man  who  puts  his  trust  in 
him."  He  prayed  for  the  widow  who  lost  five  sons  in 
the  field  of  battle.  He  related  how  he  went  to  his  room, 
shut  the  door,  got  down  on  his  knees  and  prayed  for 
victory  at  Gettysburg.  By  proclamation,  from  time  to 
time,  he  requested  the  people  to  "tender  thanks  for  in- 
estimable blessings" ;  to  "implore  spiritual  consolation"; 
to  "invoke  the  divine  guidance" ;  to  "pray  for  the  restora- 
tion of  peace,  harmony  and  unity";  for  the  Holy  Spirit 
"to  subdue  the  anger,"  and  "change  the  hearts  of  the  in- 
surgents" ;  to  "lead  the  nation  to  repentance  and  submis- 
sion to  the  Divine  will" ;  to  "pray  for  widows,  orphans, 
mourners  and  sufferers" ;  "to  heal  the  nation's  wounds." 
In  his  second  inaugural  address  he  said,  "Fondly  do  we 
hope,  fervently  do  we  pray,  that  this  mighty  scourge  of 
war  may  speedily  pass  away."  At  another  time  he  said, 


Group  of  Characteristics  33 

"I   have  been   driven  many  times  to  my  knees  by   the 
overwhelming  conviction  that  I  had  nowhere  else  to  go." 

Derangement. 

BECAUSE  Christ's  mission  was  misunderstood,  and  be- 
cause he  had  broken  off  from  his  occupation  as  a  carpen- 
ter, spending  a  portion  of  his  time  in  deserts,  denying 
himself  the  common  comforts  of  life,  preaching  and  ap- 
pointing disciples,  the  charge  was  made  by  his  personal 
friends  (Mark  3:21)  that  he  was  "beside  himself,"  and 
they  made  efforts  "to  take  him  away  from  the  multitude, 
and  to  remove  him  to  his  home  that  he  might  be  treated 
as  a  maniac,  and  by  absence  from  the  causes  of  excite- 
ment, might  be  restored  to  his  right  mind."  It  should 
be  understood  that  at  this  time  these  relatives  and  friends 
did  not  believe  in  his  divine  mission. 

BECAUSE  of  a  bitter  disappointment,  occasioned  by 
death,  a  great  sorrow  of  heart  came  to  Mr.  Lincoln  at 
the  age  of  twenty-six.  His  mind  was  plunged  into  the 
deepest  gloom.  A  painful  melancholy  darkened  his  mind, 
and  tortured  him.  He  would  sometimes  be  found  alone 
muttering  strange  things  to  himself.  He  seemed  to  his 
friends  to  be  in  the  shadow  of  madness,  and  a  close 
watch  was  kept  over  him.  Bowling  Green  and  his  good 
wife  took  him  to  their  home,  where  he  remained  until 
he  was  once  more  master  of  himself. 

The  Good  Samaritan. 

To  a  lawyer  Jesus  mentioned  a  thrilling  incident,  teach- 
ing the  true  idea  of  neighborship.  An  unfortunate  trav- 
eler, a  Jew,  had  met  with  a  misfortune,  and  was  in  a 
helpless  condition  by  the  wayside.  If  left  alone  he 


34  Master  and  His  Servant 

would  perish.  Some  of  his  own  people  had  already 
passed  him  by,  offering  no  assistance;  but  a  stranger, 
who  was  a  Samaritan,  in  passing,  had  compassion  upon 
him,  and  took  him  to  a  public  house,  and  cared  for  him 
until  the  next  morning.  While  the  incident  has  a  prac- 
tical lesson,  yet  Jesus  is  himself  the  Good  Samaritan, 
who,  when  all  else  had  passed  poor  humanity  by,  lifted 
us  up,  and  cared  for  our  spiritual  necessities. 

ONE  cold  winter  night  in  Indiana,  while  going  home, 
Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  companions  found  a  poor  drunken 
man  who  had  fallen  by  the  wayside,  and  was  in  a  help- 
less condition.  His  companions  proposed  to  leave  him 
alone,  but  Mr.  Lincoln  lifted  him  up,  carried  him  to  a 
house,  built  a  fire,  warmed  him,  and  took  care  of  him 
until  morning.  The  poor  fellow  afterwards  declared 
that  Abe  Lincoln's  strength  and  kindness  saved  his  life. 

Grief  at  Death  of  a  Friend. 

THERE  was  a  happy  home  at  Bethany,  composed  of  a 
family  of  three,  a  brother  and  two  sisters.  Here  Jesus 
often  lodged,  and  was  a  most  welcome  guest.  The 
brother,  whose  name  was  Lazarus,  was  an  intimate  and 
personal  friend  of  Jesus.  While  Jesus  was  away  on  a 
mission  he  received  a  message  that  "he  whom  he  loved 
was  sick."  Lazarus  died  and  was  buried  in  the  absence 
of  Jesus.  It  was  a  sorrowful  meeting  of  Jesus  and  the 
bereaved  sisters  upon  his  arrival  four  days  later.  The 
sisters  wept  bitterly,  while  Jesus  endeavored  to  comfort 
them,  but  he  was  overcome,  and  wept  also.  The  group 
of  Jewish  mourners  were  deeply  affected  at  the  sad 
scene,  and  when  they  saw  Jesus  weeping  they  said,  "Be- 
hold, how  he  loved  him!" 


Group  of  Characteristics  35 

AT  the  home  of  Bowling  Green  and  family,  in  Illinois, 
Lincoln,  when  a  young  man,  often  stopped.  Mr.  Green 
loaned  him  books,  and  befriended  him  in  many  ways. 
On  one  occasion  he  took  Lincoln  to  his  home  and  cared 
for  him  with  the  solicitude  of  a  devoted  friend,  through 
several  weeks  of  great  suffering  and  peril.  Bowling 
Green  died  in  1842  when  Mr.  Lincoln  was  thirty- three 
years  old.  Following  the  first  speaker  at  the  funeral 
Lincoln  undertook  to  deliver  an  oration  over  the  remains 
of  his  beloved  friend.  When  he  arose  to  speak  his  voice 
choked  with  deep  emotion ;  he  stood  for  a  few  moments, 
while  his  lips  quivered  in  the  effort  to  form  words  of 
fervent  praise  he  sought  to  utter,  and  the  tears  ran  down 
his  yellow  cheeks.  He  looked  so  utterly  bereft  and  piti- 
able that  every  one  in  the  audience  was  deeply  affected 
at  the  spectacle.  After  repeated  efforts,  he  found  it 
impossible  to  speak,  and  strode  away,  openly  and  bitterly 
sobbing,  to  the  widow's  carriage,  in  which  he  was  driven 
away  from  the  scene. 

Unknown  Qualities. 

THERE  was  something  about  Christ  the  people  could 
not  understand.  They  were  often  astonished  at  what 
he  said,  and  what  he  did.  His  own  disciples  were,  ever 
and  anon,  completely  puzzled,  and  at  one  time  they  said, 
:'What  manner  of  man  is  this?"  He  was  a  unique  char- 
acter, standing  solitary  among  men.  There  is  still  an 
unknown  quality  in  Christ.  The  more  we  study  Christ 
as  a  man  the  more  we  see  he  outgrows  all  human  pro- 
portions. He  stands  as  the  hero  of  the  ages,  the  em- 
bodiment of  all  excellencies,  the  "All  in  all."  The  great 
Napoleon  said,  "The  singularity  of  his  mysterious  being, 


36  Master  and  His  Servant 

his  appearance,  his  empire,  his  progress  through  the  cen- 
turies, and  kingdoms — all  this  to  me  is  a  prodigy,  an 
unfathomless  mystery."  It  was  prophesied  that  "his 
name  shall  be  called  Wonderful." 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  was  the  most  remarkable  character 
this  country  has  ever  produced.  The  talented  Henry 
Watterson  calls  him  a  "strange  being."  He  has  been 
called  "the  miracle  of  the  nineteenth  century."  "Poets 
and  orators,  artists  and  historians,  have  tried  to  depict 
his  character,  and  illustrate  his  career."  Julian  Haw- 
thorn, in  his  history  of  the  United  States,  says.  "The 
depth  of  his  mind,  and  the  breadth  of  his  sympathies 
have  never  been  sounded  or  measured."  Francis  Way- 
land  Shepherdson,  of  Chicago  University,  says,  "The 
mystery  of  his  existence  becomes  more  complex  and  in- 
explicable." John  T.  Morse,  the  author  of  two  volumes 
on  the  life  of  Lincoln,  says,  "Lincoln  stands  apart  in 
striking  solitude,  an  enigma  to  all  men,"  and  refers  to 
his  "strange  lifetime"  as  "impressive,  mysterious,  un- 
measured, and  unsolved." 


CHAPTER  V. 

MISCELLANEOUS  INCIDENTS. 
The  Widow's  Son. 

A  YOUNG  man,  the  only  son  of  a  poor  widow,  was 
in  the  .cold  embrace  of  death.  Jesus  met  the 
funeral  procession  as  it  proceeded  from  the  gate  of  the 
city  of  Nain.  When  he  saw  the  poor  mother  in  her 
distress  he  had  compassion  on  her,  and  told  her  not  to 
weep.  He  then  went  and  touched  the  bier  upon  which 
the  body  was  carried,  and  released  the  young  man  from 
the  bonds  of  death,  and  joyfully  restored  him  to  his 
mother. 

A  YOUNG  man  by  the  name  of  Armstrong,  the  son  of 
a  poor  widow,  in  Illinois,  was  in  the  strong  hands  of  the 
law,  charged  with  murder.  Lincoln  heard  of  it,  did  not 
believe  him  guilty,  and  voluntarily  offered  his  services 
as  a  lawyer  to  defend  him.  He  had  compassion  on  the 
poor  mother,  who,  with  her  late  husband,  had  often  be- 
friended him.  The  young  man  was  released  from  the 
bonds  of  the  law,  and  restored  to  his  mother  with  great 

joy- 

The  Lunatic  Boy. 

WHILE  the  Master  came  in  contact  with  all  kinds  of 
physical  maladies  and  human  sorrows,  there  was  none 
so  distressing,  nor  more  deserving  of  his  attention  than 
that  of  those  whose  reason  had  been  dethroned.  One  of 
special  pity,  as  recorded  by  the  sacred  historians,  is  that 
of  a  boy  whose  case  was  indeed  deplorable.  How  it 

37 


38  Master  and  His  Servant 

must  have  affected  the  tender  heart  of  Jesus  as  the 
father  related  the  strange,  uncontrollable,  and  miserable 
condition  of  his  son.  While  they  were  talking  Jesus 
himself  witnessed  the  strange  contortions  of  the  boy,  and 
administered  to  his  relief. 

AMONG  the  sorrows  that  came  to  the  heart  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  early  life,  aside  from  the  poverty  and  general 
wretchedness  which  surrounded  him,  was  the  case  of 
one  of  his  boy  companions,  three  years  older  than  him- 
self, who,  unaccountably,  became  violently  insane.  He 
finally  settled  down  to  harmless  imbecility.  All  night 
long  he  would  moan  and  sing,  and  Lincoln  relates  that 
he  would  often  rise  before  daylight  to  cross  the  fields 
and  listen,  with  intense  pity,  to  the  funeral  dirge  of 
reason. 

Care  for  Sparrows. 

JESUS  in  his  teachings  referred  to  the  protecting  care 
of  our  Heavenly  Father.  He  said  of  the  sparrows  that 
not  one  of  them  should  fall  to  the  ground  without  the 
notice  of  the  Father;  therefore,  if  he  cares  for  birds  of 
little  value  we  should  not  fear,  for  he  said  we  are  of 
"more  value  than  many  sparrows." 

ON  one  occasion,  while  traveling  with  others  on  horse- 
back, Mr.  Lincoln  saw  two  little  birds  which  had  fallen 
from  their  nests,  and  stopped  to  put  them  back.  When 
he  came  up  with  the  party  he  was  laughed  at,  but  he  said, 
"I  could  not  have  slept  to-night  if  I  had  not  restored 
those  little  birds  to  their  mother." 

Zaccheus. 

WHEN  Jesus  was  passing  through  Jericho  there  was  a 
great  crowd  following  him,  and  many  had  gathered  to 


Miscellaneous  Incidents  39 

see  him  and  the  multitude  pass.  There  was  a  certain 
man  living  at  Jericho,  named  Zaccheus,  a  publican,  who 
desired  to  see  Jesus,  but  who  was  at  a  disadvantage 
because  he  was  small  of  stature ;  therefore  he  ran  ahead 
of  the  crowd,  and  climbed  up  into  a  sycomore  tree  to 
see  him  pass.  In  passing  Jesus  looked  up,  and  saw  him. 
What  followed  is  most  interesting,  and  the  murmuring 
people  were  taught  a  most  useful  lesson  arising  from  this 
incident  in  the  life  of  Jesus. 

ONE  day  a  detachment  of  troops  was  marching  along 
the  street  singing  the  "John  Brown  song."  They  were 
walled  in  on  either  side  by  a  great  crowd  of  people. 
In  the  midst  of  this  exciting  scene  a  man  climbed  a  small 
tree  near  the  sidewalk,  but  the  tree  swayed  to  and  fro 
because  of  his  weight,  while  the  crowd  jeered  at  the 
sight.  Mr.  Lincoln  noticed  him,  and  although  engaged 
in  conversation,  with  a  droll  cast  of  his  eye,  and  a  nod 
of  his  head  in  the  direction  of  the  man,  he  repeated  the 
old  couplet — 

"And  Zaccheus  he  did  climb  a  tree, 
His  Lord  and  Master  for  to  see," 

and  then  resumed  his  conversation.  He  did  not  employ 
this  quotation  irreverently.  His  mind  was  stored  with 
poems  and  sayings,  and  the  scene  suggested  the  old 
couplet  which,  perhaps,  he  had  learned  in  his  boyhood 
days. 

The  Interceding  Son. 

IN  his  earthly  ministry  Jesus  Christ  interceded  for 
man,  and  he  is  still  our  intercessor.  He  represents  our 
humanity  at  the  court  of  heaven.  We  have  an  advocate 
with  the  Father,  in  the  person  of  his  Son,  who  "ever 


40  Master  and  His  Servant 

liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us."  In  the  name  of 
the  Son  we  may  have  our  requests  made  known  to  the 
Father,  who  will  supply  all  our  needs,  and,  in -due  time, 
promote  us  to  a  glorious  inheritance.  In  the  meantime 
we  may  have  grace  to  bear  all  of  life's  conflicts. 

DR.  J.  WILBUR  CHAPMAN  tells  of  one  of  his  friends 
who  was  a  boyhood  companion  of  Robert  Lincoln.  He 
entered  the  Civil  War,  and  went  to  the  front.  When 
Robert  Lincoln  found  that  he  was  only  a  private  soldier 
he  said  to  a  friend,  "Write  and  tell  him  to  write  to  me, 
and  I  will  intercede  with  father,  and  get  him  something 
better."  The  young  soldier  said :  "I  never  took  advantage 
of  the  offer,  but  you  do  not  know  what  a  comfort  it  was 
to  me.  Often  after  a  weary  march  I  would  throw  my- 
self on  the  ground,  and  say,  'If  it  becomes  beyond  all 
human  endurance  I  can  write  to  Bob  Lincoln  and  get 
relief ;  and  I  would  rather  have  his  intercession  than  that 
of  the  cabinet,  for  he  is  a  son/ 

* 

The  Stranger's  Discourse. 

IN  the  afternoon  of  the  first  Giristian  Sabbath  two 
companions  were  walking  from  Jerusalem  to  their  home 
at  Emmaus,  eight  miles  distant.  On  Friday  before, 
Christ,  whom  they  trusted  as  the  Messiah,  had  been 
crucified.  While  they  were  talking  about  their  sorrows 
and  disappointments,  a  stranger  joined  their  company. 
After  they  had  related  to  him  the  cause  of  their  sad 
countenances  and  grief  the  stranger  gave  them  an  en- 
couraging talk,  which  greatly  cheered  them.  He  told 
them  that  after  all  Jesus  must  have  been  the  Messiah. 
How  their  "hearts  burned  within"  them  while  the 
stranger  continued  to  talk  concerning  the  prophecies  and 


Miscellaneous  Incidents  41 

their  fulfillment!  At  length  they  arrived  at  their  hum- 
ble abode  in  Emmaus,  and,  as  it  was  late  in  the  after- 
noon, the  two  friends  constrained  him  to  tarry  with 
them.  They  wanted  to  hear  more  of  his  gracious  and 
instructive  words.  The  evening  meal  was  prepared,  and 
while  the  stranger  was  returning  thanks  their  eyes  were 
opened,  and  they  saw,  to  their  astonishment,  that  the 
stranger  was  none  other  than  Jesus  Christ  himself !  Dur- 
ing Christ's  ministry  many  saw  him  and  heard  his  gra- 
cious words,  but  knew  him  not  because  of  the  blindness 
of  their  hearts. 

ONE  Sabbath  morning,  in  1860,  a  stranger  entered, 
and  took  a  seat  in  the  Sabbath  school  of  the  Five  Points 
House  of  Industry,  in  New  York.  He  listened  with 
fixed  attention  to  all  the  exercises,  and  his  countenance 
expressed  such  genuine  interest  that  the  superintendent 
approached  him  and  suggested  that  he  might  be  willing 
to  say  something  to  the  children.  The  stranger  accepted 
the  invitation  with  evident  pleasure.  Going  forward  he 
began  a  simple  address  which  at  once  fascinated  every 
little  hearer,  and  hushed  the  room  into  silence.  His  lan- 
guage was  strikingly  beautiful,  and  his  tones  musical, 
with  intense  feeling.  Once  or  twice  he  attempted  to 
close  his  remarks,  but  their  imperative  shout  of  "Go  on !" 
"Oh,  do  go  on !"  would  compel  him  to  resume.  The 
superintendent,  as  he  looked  at  the  remarkable  appear- 
ance of  the  stranger,  felt  a  great  curiosity  to  know  more 
about  him,  and  while  the  stranger  was  quietly  leaving 
the  room,  the  superintendent  begged  to  know  his  name. 
He  courteously  replied,  "It  is  Abraham  Lincoln,  from 


42  Master  and  His  Servant 

Illinois/'     Ah,  there  were  many  who  saw  Mr.  Lincoln, 
and  heard  his  words,  but  they  knew  not  the  real  man. 

Regard  for  Woman. 

CHRIST  recognized  woman  in  the  work  of  the  gospel. 
He  lifted  her  up  from  her  social  estrangement  and  soli- 
tude. He  administered  to  women  in  their  moral  and 
physical  maladies,  and  heeded  their  urgent  requests  in 
behalf  of  their  loved  ones.  He  recognized  their  love  and 
devotion  to  himself.  For  the  kind  act  of  a  woman  he 
said,  ''Wheresoever  this  gospel  shall  be  preached  in  the 
whole  world,  there  shall  also  this,  that  this  woman  hath 
done,  be  told  for  a  memorial  of  her."  To  woman  he 
first  gave  the  commission  to  declare  his  resurrection. 

LINCOLN  was  a  true  friend  to  woman.  In  his  early 
professional  life  he  declared  for  woman's  enfranchise- 
ment. As  a  lawyer  he  often  appeared  for  the  widow  and 
the  orphan  "without  money  and  without  price."  In  his 
presidential  career  he  was  often  touched  with  the  tender 
appeals  of  women  in  behalf  of  their  loved  ones.  He 
recognized  their  devotion  to  the  Union  and  to  the  sol- 
jdiers.  At  a  Ladies'  Fair,  for  the  benefit  of  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers,  he  said:  "If  all  that  has  been  said  by 
orators  and  poets  since  the  creation  of  the  world  were 
applied  to  the  women  of  America  it  would  not  do  them 
justice  for  their  conduct  during  the  war.  I  will  close 
by  saying,  'God  bless  the  women  of  America.' 

Love  for  Children. 

CHRIST  loved  and  recognized  children.  He  took  little 
children  in  his  arms  and  blessed  them,  and  said,  "Suffer 
little  children,  and  forbid  them  not  to  come  unto  me; 
for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  Upon  one  occa- 


Miscellaneous  Incidents  43 

sion  he  called  a  little  child  unto  him,  and  set  him  in  the 
midst  of  the  disciples,  and  taught  them  a  beautiful  object 
lesson  of  humility  and  dependence. 

MR.  LINCOLN  loved  children.  He  loved  his  own  child- 
ren dearly.  There  are  a  number  of  instances  recorded 
of  his  tender  regard  for  the  little  ones.  As  Mr.  Lincoln 
rode  on  horseback  in  the  parade  at  the  Gettysburg  dedi 
cation,  a  gentleman,  with  a  little  girl  dressed  in  white, 
raised  the  little  one  to  the  President  who  extended  his 
hands,  lifted  her  up  to  his  face,  kissed  her,  and  handed 
her  back  to  her  father. 

"Praise  Belongs  to  God." 

JESUS  always  sought  to  honor  the  Father.  He  sought 
not  his  own  honor  aside  from  that  of  the  Father.  He 
said  upon  an  interesting  occasion,  "I  seek  not  mine  own 
glory."  "If  I  honor  myself  my  honor  is  nothing."  He 
came  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and  claimed  that  all  honor 
came  from,  and  was  due  the  Father;  therefore  he  dis- 
regarded equally  the  reproaches  and  the  applause  of  the 
people. 

AN  old  colored  hospital  nurse,  a  very  estimable  wo- 
man, in  company  with  others,  brought  some  valuable 
and  beautiful  presents  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  Suitable  remarks 
were  made  on  the  occasion  by  different  members  of  the 
company.  The  old  lady  being  called  upon  to  say  a  few 
words,  said :  "Mr.  President,  I  believe  God  has  hewn  you 
out  of  a  rock  for  this  great  and  mighty  purpose.  You 
have  stood  firm  because  God  was  with  you,  and  if  you 
are  faithful  to  the  end,  he  will  still  be  with  you."  With 
eyes  full  of  tears,  President  Lincoln  said,  "You  must 
not  give  me  the  praise;  it  belongs  to  God." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PUBLIC  MISSION  AND  TEACHING. 
The  Inauguration. 

A  CRISIS  was  approaching  in  the  history  of  Christ 
and  the  nation.  There  were  murmurs  among  the 
people.  He  saw  signs  of  approaching  rupture  with  the 
priests  and  rabbis.  After  Christ  had  chosen  his  asso- 
ciates, or  disciples,  he  proceeded  to  deliver,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  disciples  and  a  great  multitude,  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount,  which  Geikie  says  was  a  kind  of  inaugural 
address,  or  declaration  of  principles  of  the  Christian  re- 
public. He  told  the  people  that  he  came  not  to  destroy 
the  law,  but  to  obey  and  fulfill.  He  endeavored  to 
rectify  some  false  and  mistaken  notions  and  expectations 
of  the  Jews  respecting  his  kingdom.  What  a  message 
of  blessings  and  good  will !  How  he  pleads  for  loyalty 
and  submission  to  the  Divine  will !  What  a  contrast  he 
shows  between  those  who  heard  his  sayings  and  per- 
formed them,  and  those  who  heard  and  obeyed  not! 

A  CRISIS  was  approaching  in  the  history  of  the  govern- 
ment to  which  Mr.  Lincoln  had  been  chosen  as  its  chief 
executive.  He  had  chosen  his  cabinet  of  associate  coun- 
selors. There  were  murmurs  among  the  people.  Active 
measures  were  being  taken  to  dissolve  the  Union.  Mr. 
Lincoln  wa3  fully  aware  of  the  condition  of  affairs,  but 
he  proceeded  to  Washington  to  deliver  his  inaugural 
address,  which  was  delivered  in  the  presence  of  a  vast 
multitude.  What  noble  expressions  of  good  will  he  gives  ! 

44 


Piiblic  Mission  and  Teaching  45 

He  tells  his  opponents  plainly  that  they  still  had  the  old 
Constitution  unimpaired,  and  that  he  had  no  purpose, 
directly  or  indirectly,  to  interfere  with  slavery  where 
it  then  existed.  How  he  appeals  to  his  "dissatisfied  fel- 
low countrymen"  for  peace  and  union,  and  warns  them 
of  the  consequences  of  war,  which  could  only  be  brought 
about  by  themselves  as  the  aggressors. 

Doing  the  Will  of  the  Father. 

JESUS  CHRIST  was  conscious  of  his  divine  mission,  and 
on  different  occasions  said  that  his  purpose  was  to  do 
the  will  of  the  Father.  To  his  mother  he  said,  "I  must 
be  about  my  Father's  business."  To  the  Jews  at  Jeru- 
salem he  said,  "I  seek  not  mine  own  will,  but  the  will 
of  the  Father."  To  the  disciples  he  said,  "My  meat  is 
to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me."  Addressing  the 
Father  in  his  agony  in  Gethsemane,  he  said,  "Not  my 
will,  but  thine  be  done."  Paul  says,  "He  became  obedi- 
ent unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross." 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  sought  to  do  the  will  of  God.  He 
said,  "I  have  felt  his  hand  upon  me  in  great  trials,  and 
submitted  to  his  guidance."  In  his  first  message  to  a 
special  session  of  Congress,  in  July,  1861,  he  said,  "Let 
us  renew  our  trust  in  God,  and  go  forward  without  fear." 
To  a  religious  delegation  from  Chicago,  he  said,  "What- 
ever shall  appear  to  be  God's  will  I  will  do."  To  a 
religious  delegation  from  Baltimore  he  said,  "I  place  my 
whole  reliance  in  God,  knowing  that  he  will  decide  for 
the  right."  Upon  another  occasion  he  said,  "It  is  my 
constant  anxiety  and  prayer  that  I  and  this  nation  shall 
be  on  the  Lord's  side."  The  late  Honorable  John  Hay, 
who  was  Lincoln's  private  secretary,  and  while  Secretary 


46  Master  and  His  Servant 

of  State  under  President  Roosevelt,  said,  "There  is  one 
thing  we  all  should  never  forget — that  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  one  of  the  most  faithful  and  devoted  servants  of 
Almighty  God  who  ever  sat  in  high  places." 

Originality. 

CHRIST  was  an  original  teacher.  The  people  had  never 
heard  anything  like  his  teachings.  They  declared, 
"Never  man  spake  like  this  man."  They  were  "aston- 
ished." 'To  transmit  unchanged,"  says  Geikie,  "the  tra- 
ditions received  from  the  past,  was  the  one  idea  of  all 
other  teachers;  but  He,  while  reverent,  was  not  afraid 
to  criticize,  reject,  and  to  supplement.  To  venture  on 
originality  and  independence  was  something  hitherto  un- 
known." Says  Canon  Farrar:  "How  exquisitely  and 
freshly  simple  is  the  actual  language  of  Christ  compared 
with  all  other,  teaching  that  has  ever  gained  the  ear  of 
the  world!  There  is  no  science  in  it,  no  art,  no  pomp 
of  demonstration,  no  carefulness  of  toil,  no  trick  of 
rhetoricians,  no  wisdom  of  the  schools.  Straight  as  an 
arrow  to  the  mark,  his  precepts  pierce  to  the  very  depths 
of  the  soul  and  spirit.  All  is  short,  clear,  precise,  full 
of  holiness,  full  of  common  images  of  daily  life." 

LINCOLN  was  an  original  thinker  and  reasoner.  He 
S:aid,  "I  am  never  easy  when  I  am  handling  a  thought 
till  I  have  bounded  it  north,  and  bounded  it  south,  and 
bounded  it  east,  and  bounded  it  west."  Charles  Sumner 
said :  "He  was  original  in  mind  and  in  character.  His 
style  was  his  own,  formed  on  no  model,  and  springing 
directly  from  himself."  J.  G.  Holland,  the  historian, 
says,  "We  learned  to  love  him  for  his  eccentricities,  be- 
cause they  proved  to  us  that  he  was  not  controlled  by 


Public  Mission  and  Teaching  47 

convention  and  precedent,  but  was  a  law  unto  himself." 
Mr.  Herndon,  his  law  partner  for  twenty  years,  said, 
"He  tore  up  to  the  deep  foundation  all  arrangement  of 
facts,  and  coined  and  arranged  new  plans  to  govern  him- 
self." "His  mind  ran  back  behind  all  facts,  things,  and 
principles,  to  their  origin,  history,  and  first  cause." 

Manner  of  Illustration. 

THE  Great  Teacher  illustrated  truths  by  parables  and 
other  forms  of  illustration.  How  often  he  said,  "The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  like,"  and  then,  by  some  forcible 
parable,  emphasized  the  truth  to  be  learned.  At  one  time 
he  said,  "Whereunto  shall  we  liken  the  kingdom  of  God  ? 
or  with  what  comparison  shall  we  compare  it?"  Again, 
"Whereunto  shall  I  liken  the  men  of  this  generation? 
and  to  what  are  they  like  ?"  and  in  each  instance  he  gave 
an  appropriate  illustration.  At  Nazareth  Jesus  gathered 
a  wonderful  harvest  of  imagery  from  nature,  and  be- 
came thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  facts  of  the  Old 
Testament,  all  of  which  were  suggestive  afterward,  and 
with  which  he  delighted  and  instructed  his  disciples  and 
the  multitudes.  Dr.  Stalker  says  about  one-third  of  the 
sayings  of  Christ  which  have  been  preserved,  consists 
of  parables.  The  parables  of  the  "Lost  Sheep,"  "Laza- 
rus and  the  Rich  Man,"  the  "Good  Samaritan,"  the 
"Wedding  Garment,"  and  the  "Ten  Virgins,"  have  never 
been  excelled  for  their  lessons  of  moral  grandeur. 

LINCOLN  was  noted  for  using  illustrations,  and  telling 
"stories"  to  make  plain  the  application  of  facts.  His 
early  life  afforded  him  many  incidents,  and  a  fund  of 
illustrations  and  anecdotes.  Besides,  he  had  read  Aesop's 
Fables,  Pilgrim's  Progress,  Shakespeare,  the  Bible,  and 


48  Master  and  His  Servant 

other  books,  and  having  a  wonderful  memory,  his  mind 
was  well  stored  with  many  illustrations  and  comparisons 
which  he  used  to  great  advantage.  'That  reminds  me," 
was  the  introduction  to  many  a  story  or  anecdote  which 
greatly  pleased  his  hearers.  Herndon  says :  "The  world, 
fact,  man,  principle,  all  had  their  power  of  suggestion, 
and  continually  put  him  in  mind  of  something.  His 
power  and  tenacity  of  what  is  called  association  of  ideas 
must  have  been  very  great." 

Appeal  to  the  Scriptures. 

CHRIST  became  early  acquainted  with  the  Old  Testa- 
ment Scriptures  at  his  home  in  Nazareth.  He  made  a 
special  study  of  the  prophecies  referring  to  himself.  In 
his  ministry  he  often  appealed  to  the  Scriptures,  using 
such  expressions  as,  "It  is  written" ;  "It  is  written  in 
the  prophets" ;  "What  saith  the  Scriptures  ?" ;  "It  is  writ- 
ten in  your  law" ;  "It  hath  been  said."  On  one  occasion, 
"Beginning  at  Moses  and  all  the  prophets,  he  expounded 
unto  them  in  all  the  scriptures  the  things  concerning 
himself."  To  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem  he  said :  "Search 
the  scriptures  .  .  .  and  they  are  they  which  testify 
of  me."  Again,  "For  had  ye  believed  Moses  ye  would 
have  believed  me ;  for  he  wrote  of  me.  But  if  ye  believe 
not  his  writings,  how  shall  ye  believe  my  words  ?"  Jesus 
put  many  interpretations  on  the  Scriptures  which  were 
new  to  the  Jewish  people.  He  quoted,  so  far  as  reported, 
from  twenty-two  of  the  thirty-nine  books  of  the  Old 
Testament,  in  all  about  one  hundred  and  forty  quota- 
tions. 

LINCOLN  made  a  special  study  of  the  Scriptures  in 
early  life.  His  "angel  mother"  interested  his  youthful 


Public  Mission  and  Teaching  49 

mind  with  Bible  stories.  He  made  frequent  use  of 
Scripture  quotations  in  his  writings  and  public  addresses. 
At  one  time  he  referred  to  the  "good  old  maxims  of  the 
Bible."  His  "Divided  House  speech"  is  one  of  the 
strongest  applications  of  Scripture  on  record.  Honorable 
Isaac  N.  Arnold,  who  knew  him  intimately  for  twenty- 
five  years,  and  who  wrote  a  biography  of  him,  said,  "I 
have  never  yet  met  the  man  more  familiar  with  the 
Bible  than  Abraham  Lincoln."  It  was  truly  said  of 
him  that  "no  man,  clergyman,  or  otherwise,  could  be 
found  so  familiar  with  this  book  as  he.  This  is  ap- 
parent both  in  his  conversation  and  his  writings.  There 
is  hardly  a  speech  or  a  state  paper  of  his  in  which  allu- 
sions and  illustrations  taken  from  the  Bible  do  not 
appear."  On  a  noted  occasion  he  said  of  the  Bible,  "It 
is  the  best  gift  which  God  has  ever  given  to  man."  So 
far  as  the  writer  has  found  recorded,  he  made  quotations 
from  fourteen  books  of  the  Bible,  making  thirty-two  in 
all. 

Warning  Against  False  Doctrine. 

THE  Great  Teacher  taught  the  truth,  but  he  saw  how 
his  disciples  and  others  might  be  deceived,  therefore  he 
warned  them  to  beware  of  false  prophets,  or  false 
teachers.  He  told  them  to  beware  of  the  leaven  or  false 
doctrine  of  the  Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees.  He  said, 
'Take  heed  that  no  man  deceive  you."  He  referred  to 
the  fact  that  many  would  be  deceived  by  false  repre- 
sentations. He  referred  to  deceivers  as  "blind  guides," 
"hypocrites/'  "generation  of  vipers,"  "whited  sepul- 
chres," etc.  Only  those  were  safe  who  heeded  his  say- 
ings and  did  them,  like  a  wise  man  who  builds  his  house 
upon  a  sure  foundation. 


50  Master  and  His  Servant 

/• 

THE  immortal  Lincoln  taught  principles  and  truths  that 
withstood  the  strongest  opposition.  He  believed  in  the 
ultimate  triumph  of  truth  and  the  right.  He  warned  the 
people  to  beware  of  false  reasoning,  and  false  leaders. 
He  .protested  against  what  he  called  "counterfeit  logic," 
"ingenious  sophism,"  "base  alloy  of  "hypocrisy,"  and  a 
"sugar-coated  rebellion."  He  said,  "Let  us  be  diverted 
by  none  of  those  sophisticated  contrivances  wherewith 
we  are  so  industriously  plied  and  belabored."  He  also 
said :  "I  have  faith  in  the  people.  They  will  not  consent 
to  disunion.  The  danger  is  in  their  being  misled.  Let 
them  know  the  truth,  and  the  country  is  safe." 

Severe  Reproofs. 

ALTHOUGH  Christ  was  gentle  and  forbearing  towards 
the  erring,  there  were  times  when  his  reproofs  were 
quite  severe.  He  was  especially  severe  with  hypocrites 
and  impostors.  He  called  them  by  their  right  names. 
Filled  with  righteous  scorn  and  noble  indignation,  he 
used  bodily  force  in  driving  from  the  temple  the  sheep 
and  the  oxen,  and  their  attendants,  who  had  basely  pros- 
tituted the  temple  for  unholy  purposes,  and  overthrew  the 
tables  of  the  money-changers.  They  did  not  resist,  be- 
cause sin  is  weakness,  and  Jesus  spoke  as  one  having 
authority,  "Make  not  my  Father's  house  a  house  of  mer- 
chandise," "It  is  written,  My  house  shall  be  called  a 
house  of  prayer,  but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves." 

MUCH  has  been  said  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  uniform  meek- 
ness, forbearance,  and  kindness  of  heart,  but  there  were 
times,  when  even  with  him,  "forbearance  ceased  to  be  a 
virtue."  He  was  greatly  tried  in  many  ways.  On  one 
occasion  an  officer,  who  had  been  discharged,  called  to 


Public  Mission  and  Teaching  51 

defend  himself,  but  Mr.  Lincoln  felt  that  he  could  not 
interfere,  even  from  the  officer's  own  statement.  He 
called  the  second,  and  the  third  time,  going  over  the 
same  ground,  consuming  much  of  the  President's  valu- 
able time.  The  last  time,  seeing  the  President  was  not 
convinced,  he  used  insulting  language,  which  was  too 
aggravating,  even  for  Mr;  Lincoln.  With  a  slight  com- 
pression of  his  lips,  he  gently  arose  and  suddenly  seizing 
the  defunct  officer  by  the  coat-collar,  he  marched  him 
forcibly  to  the  door,  saying,  as  he  ejected  him  into  the 
passage:  "Sir,  I  give  you  fair  warning  never  to  show 
yourself  in  this  room  again.  I  can  bear  censure,  but  not 
insult !  Begone,  sir,  I  never  want  to  see  your  face  again." 

The  Unfortunate. 

CHRIST  was  often  compassed  about  with  many  un- 
fortunate and  distressed  persons.  All  classes,  with  all 
kinds  of  trouble,  came  to  him  for  relief.  He  was  ap- 
pealed to  by  the  sick,  the  lame,  the  blind,  the  deaf,  and 
the  dumb.  Those  who  were  imposed  upon  by  others 
came  to  him  with  their  troubles.  Some  came  in  behalf 
of  their  friends  who  were  in  distress,  and  their  appeals, 
many  of  them,  were  heart-touching.  How  patiently 
Christ  considered  all  these  cases,  and  administered  relief 
to  the  worthy. 

MUCH  of  President  Lincoln's  time  was  taken  in  con- 
sidering the  cases  of  the  unfortunate.  Persons,  repre- 
senting all  classes  and  ranks,  with  all  kinds  of  grievances, 
came  for  redress.  Women  came  in  person  in  behalf  of 
their  husbands,  or  sons,  who  were  wounded,  in  prison, 
or  under  sentence  of  death  for  desertion.  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  very  considerate  in  all  these  cases,  and  many  persons 


»ni 

HE  I 


52  Master  and  His  Servant 

went  away   from  his  presence   saying  joyfully  in  their 
hearts,  if  not  in  words,  "God  bless  Abraham  Lincoln." 
- 

Humility. 

WHILE  the  Master  had  all  power  and  authority,  there 
are  many  things  recorded  in  which  he  showed  the  spirit 
of  humility  by  performing  lowly  acts  of  service.  He 
said,  "Whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you  let  him  be 
your  servant."  Upon  a  certain  occasion,  as  he  and  his 
disciples  were  together,  he  laid  aside  his  outer  garments, 
took  a  towel  and  girded  himself,  and  after  pouring  water 
into  a  basin  began  to  wash  the  feet  of  his  disciples,  and 
to  wipe  them  with  the  towel.  This  humble  act  was  a 
puzzle  to  Peter,  but  it  showed  the  spirit  of  the  Master, 
his  perfect  willingness  to  descend  to  do  an  act  of  service 
however  lowly  for  the  example  and  good  of  others. 

HUMILITY  characterized  the  life  of  Mr.  Lincoln  even 
while  he  occupies  the  highest  office  in  the  nation.  He 
did  not,  in  spirit  or  practice,  hold  himself  above  the 
lowly.  An  instance  is  related  in  which  he  was  discovered 
counting  some  money.  In  explanation  he  said :  'This 
is  something  out  of  my  usual  line ;  but  a  President  of  the 
United  States  has  a  multiplicity  of  duties  not  specified 
in  the  Constitution  or  acts  of  Congress.  This  is  one  of 
them.  This  money  belongs  to  a  poor  negro  who  is  a 
porter  in  the  Treasury  Department,  at  present  very  bad 
with  the  smallpox.  He  is  now  in  the  hospital,  and  could 
not  draw  his  pay  because  he  could  not  sign  his  name. 
I  have  been  at  considerable  trouble  to  overcome  the 
difficulty  and  get  it  for  him,  and  have  at  length  succeeded. 
I  am  now  dividing  and  putting  by  a  portion,  labeled,  in 
an  envelope,  with  my  own  hands,  according  to  his  wish." 


Public  Mission  and  Teaching  53 

He  proceeded  to  endorse  the  package  very  carefully.  No 
one  witnessing  the  transaction  could  fail  to  appreciate 
the  goodness  of  heart  which  prompted  the  President  of 
the  United  States  to  turn  aside  for  a  time  from  his 
weighty  care  to  perform  a  menial  act  of  service  for  the 
benefit  of  one  of  the  humblest  of  his  fellow-creatures. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES  TAUGHT. 

Truth. 

THE  mission  of  Jesus  was  to  reveal  and  to  declare 
the  truth,  and  he  did  it  tenderly  and  fearlessly. 
He  revealed  the  truth  concerning  those  exalted  duties 
we  owe  to  ourselves,  to  others,  and  to  God.  To  the 
unbelieving  Pharisees,  who  questioned  his  credentials, 
he  said,  "Though  I  bear  record  of  myself,  yet  my  record 
is  true."  To  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem  he  said,  "The  truth 
shall  make  you  free" — free  from  error,  prejudice,  and 
the  bondage  of  sin.  The  principles  of  gospel  truth,  as 
taught  by  Christ,  if  acted  upon,  will  free  every  individual 
soul,  and  dissolve  every  false  system  of  rule  or  govern- 
ment on  earth,  and  'enthrone  the  kingdom  of  righteous- 
ness. 

LINCOLN  had  a  sincere  regard  for  the  truth,  and  pro- 
claimed it  fearlessly.  In  defense  of  his  "Divided  House 
speech,"  when  a  candidate  for  the  United  States  Senate, 
in  1858,  he  said,  "If  it  must  be  that  I  must  go  down 
because  of  this  speech  then  let  me  go  down  linked  to  the 
truth — die  in  the  advocacy  of  what  is  just  and  right." 
Near  the  same  time  he  said,  "If  I  should  never  be 
elected  to  any  office  I  trust  I  may  go  down  with  no  stain 
of  falsehood  upon  my  reputation."  When  a  candidate 
for  the  presidency  he  said,  "I  am  nothing,  but  truth  is 
everything."  While  President,  only  a  month  before  his 
death,  he  said,  concerning  some  of  his  utterances:  "Men 
are  not  flattered  by  being  shown  that  there  has  been  a 
difference  of  purpose  between  the  Almighty  and  them. 
It  is  a  truth  which  I  thought  needed  to  be  told." 

54 


Fundamental  Principles  Taught  55 

I 

Love. 

LOVE  was  the  prime  factor  in  the  life  of  Jesus.  He 
loved  his  friends.  He  said,  "As  the  Father  hath  loved 
me,  so  have  I  loved  you."  We  should  show  our  love  for 
him,  for  he  said,  "If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my 
words."  He  exhorted  his  friends  to  love  one  another, 
saying,  "Love  one  another,  as  I  have  loved  you."  Christ 
loved  his  enemies,  and  to  us  he  says,  "Love  your  ene- 
mies, bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that 
hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully  use  you, 
and  persecute  you."  He  also  said  that  upon  the  two 
commands,  love  to  God,  and  love  to  man,  "hung  all  the 
law  and  the  prophets,"  meaning  that  these  two  com- 
mandments included  every  other  commandment.  In  his 
old  age,  John,  "the  beloved  disciple,"  said,  "We  love  him 
because  he  first  loved  us."  The  love  of  Christ  was 
world-wide.  His  gospel  was  for  "every  creature." 
While  an  exile  on  the  island  of  St.  Helena,  Napoleon 
Bonaparte  said:  "Alexander,  Caesar,  Charlemange,  and 
myself  founded  great  empires ;  but  upon  what  did  the 
creations  of  our  genius  depend?  Upon  force.  Jesus 
alone  founded  his  empire  upon  love,  and  to  this  very 
day  millions  would  die  for  him."  Although  the  Jewish 
people  rejected  Christ,  yet  he  loved  them,  for  he  was 
born  and  reared  a  Jew  himself. 

LOVE  for  his  fellow-man  was  a  most  distinguished 
trait  in  the  character  of  Lincoln.  General  Banks  said, 
"There  is  not  a  man  on  the  continent  or  globe  that  will, 
or  can  say,  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  his  enemy."  J.  G. 
Holland,  the  historian,  said :  "I  do  not  believe  a  ruler 
ever  lived  who  loved  his  people  more  sincerely  than  he. 
Nay,  I  do  not  believe  the  ruler  ever  lived  who  loved  his 


56  Master  and  His  Servant 

enemies  so  well  as  he."  Before  his  nomination  and 
election  to  the  presidency  he  said  in  a  speech,  directing 
his  remarks  to  the  Southern  people :  'We  mean  to  re- 
member that  you  are  as  good  as  we  are ;  that  there  is  no 
difference  between  us  other  than  difference  in  circum- 
stance. We  mean  to  recognize  and  bear  in  mind  that 
you  have  as  good  hearts  in  your  bosoms  as  other  people." 
While  he  was  President  he  said :  "I  shall  do  nothing  in 
malice.  What  I  ^eal  with  is  too  vast  for  malicious 
dealing."  In  his  second  inaugural  address  he  used  the 
noble  expression,  "With  malice  toward  none,  and  charity 
for  all."  During  the  Rebellion  he  sometimes  referred  to 
the  Southern  people  as  "our  erring  brethren."  He  loved 
the  South,  for  he  was  born  in  the  ^  South,  of  southern 
parentage. 

A  High  Standard. 

CHRIST  set  up  a  perfect  standard  of  living.  His  life 
was  the  true  model.  All  his  teachings,  and  all  his  works 
were  perfect.  He  said,  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart, 
for  they  shall  see  God" — see  God  in  nature,  in  his  provi- 
dence, goodness,  mercy,  and  grace.  He  further  said, 
"Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven  is  perfect."  Not  absolute  perfection,  but  in 
proportion  as  your  Father  is  perfect,  be  consistent  and 
regular,  pure  and  perfect  in  so  far  as  it  is  possible  for 
poor  fallen  mortals  to  be  perfect. 

IN  commenting  upon  human  perfection  in  a  speech 
delivered  in  Chicago,  in  1858,  Mr.  Lincoln  said :  "It  is 
said  in  one  of  the  admonitions  of  our  Lord,  'As  your 
Father  in  heaven  is  perfect,  be  ye  also  perfect.'  The 
Savior,  I  suppose,  did  not  expect  that  any  human  crea- 


Fundamental  Principles  Taught  57 

ture  could  be  perfect  as  the  Father  in  heaven,  but  he 
said,  'As  your  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect,  be  ye  also 
perfect.'  He  set  that  up  as  a  standard,  and  he  who  did 
most  toward  reaching  that  standard  attained  the  highest 
degree  of  moral  perfection."  Mr.  Lincoln  endeavored 
to  live  up  to  that  standard,  and  to  govern  trie  nation  ac- 
cordingly. 

The  Sabbath. 

JESUS  recognized  and  observed  the  Sabbath.  It  was 
his  custom  to  worship  and  to  teach  in  the  synagogues 
on  the  Sabbath.  He  was  accused  of  breaking  the  Sab- 
bath because  he  performed  deeds  of  mercy  and  kind- 
ness, and  acts  of  necessity  on  that  day,  but  he  informed 
his  objectors  that  it  was  lawful  to  do  good  on  the  Sab- 
bath, and  that  man  was  above  the  Sabbath,  that  the 
Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  Sab- 
bath. 

LINCOLN  observed  the  Sabbath,  and  attended  religious 
services  on  that  day  at  Springfield,  and  at  Washington. 
While  he  was  President  he  issued  a  "Sunday  Rest  Order," 
of  which  the  following  is  a  part :  "The  President,  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  desires  and 
enjoins  the  orderly  observance  of  the  Sabbath  by  the 
officers  and  men  in  the  military  and  naval  service.  The 
importance  for  man  and  beast  of  the  prescribed  weekly 
rest,  the  sacred  rights  of  Christian  soldiers  and  sailors, 
a  becoming  deference  to  the  best  interests  of  a  Christian 
people,  and  a  due  regard  to  the  Divine  will,  demand  that 
Sunday  labor  in  the  army  and  navy  be  reduced  to  the 
measure  of  strict  necessity," 


58  Master  and  His  Servant 

Doing  and  Knowing. 
IT  will  be  observed  that  these  words  are  reversed  from 

the  usual  order.  The  Great  Teacher  said,  "If  any  man 
will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine  whether 
it  be  of  God."  Bishop  Hall,  in  commenting  on  these 
words  of  Christ,  says,  "If  any  man  shall,  with  a  simple 
and  honest  heart,  yield  himself  over  to  do  the  will  of 
God,  according  to  the  measure  he  knows,  God  shall  en- 
courage and  bless  that  man  with  further  light;  so  he 
shall  fully  know,"  that  the  doctrine  is  of  God.  Doing 
the  will  of  God  will  give  light  and  understanding,  and 
is  an  antidote  for  prejudice,  doubt,  and  skepticism. 
Christ  greatly  emphasized  the  doctrine  of  obedience  as  a 
result  of  knowledge  to  be  followed  by  happiness.  "If 
ye  know  these  things  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them."  Know 
and  do,  and  do  and  know,  are  opposite  terms,  but  they 
may  be  put  to  the  test  by  those  who  know,  and  those  who 
do  not  know. 

Ax  the  Chicago  convention,  where  Lincoln  was  first 
nominated  for  the  presidency,  Arnold  says,  it  was  dis- 
covered that  there  was  an  organized  body  of  New 
Yorkers  who  cheered  and  shouted  whenever  Seward's 
name  was  mentioned.  The  Illinois  delegation  secured 
some  loud  shouters  for  Lincoln,  one  of  whom  was  a 
Democrat,  whose  ability  to  shout  and  huzza  had  never 
been  equaled.  Whenever  Lincoln's  name  was  mentioned 
there  would  go  up  such  cheers  and  shouts  as  never  be- 
fore had  been  heard.  This  was  kept  up  until  Lincoln 
was  nominated  amid  such  a  storm  of  applause  as  had 
never  before  been  known.  The  Democratic  shouter  was 
so  carried  away  with  his  enthusiasm  for  Lincoln  that  he 


Fundamental  Principles  Taught  59 

changed  his  politics,  and  continued  to  shout  for  Lincoln 
during  the  campaign. 

A  Short  Creed. 

CHRIST  was  a  member  of  no  worldly  organization, 
his  life  was  an  open  book.  He  said,  "I  sf>ake  openly  to 
the  world,  and  in  secret  have  I  said  nothing."  He  was 
no  respecter  of  persons.  He  treated  all  alike,  friends 
and  foes,  rich  and  poor,  Jews  and  Gentiles.  His  gospel 
was  for  "every  creature,"  and  he  acted  accordingly. 
While  he  spoke  of  many  duties  to  be  rendered  to  God, 
and  to  men,  he  summed  them  up  in  a  few  words.  The 
brief  confession  of  faith,  as  expressed  by  Peter,  was  the 
foundation  upon  which  he  would  build  his  Church. 
There  could  be  no  improvement.  It  was  to  stand  for 
all  time.  Love  to  God  and  man  would  be  the  creed  in 
substance.  This  creed  can  be  applied  to  every  phase 
and  condition  of  society  and  human  need.  Christ  was 
not  a  stickler  for  forms  and  ceremonies.  The  worship 
of  God  in  the  spirit,  and  with  love  in  all  its  relations, 
were  the  supreme  requirements. 

f 

LINCOLN  was  no  class  man.  His  affections  were  broad 
and  liberal.  He  was  not  a  member  of  any  fraternal 
order,  or  society,  so  far  as  known.  Neither  was  he  a 
member  of  any  sectarian  church,  although  he  attended 
church  services,  recognized  the  good  influence  of  the 
churches,  and  upon  one  ocasion  said,  "God  bless  all  the 
churches."  Still  he  was  a  Christian,  especially  in  the 
later  years  of  his  life.  Few  men  outside  of  his  cabinet 
he  more  frequently  consulted  than  his  old  friend,  Isaac 
N.  Arnold,  who  said:  "No  more  reverent  Christian  than 
he  ever  sat  in  the  executive  chair,  not  excepting  Wash- 


60  Master  and  His  Servant 

ington.  He  was  by  nature  religious ;  full  of  religious 
sentiment.  It  is  not  claimed  that  he  was  orthodox.  For 
creeds  and  dogmas  he  cared  little.  But  in  the  great 
fundamental  principles  of  the  Christian  religion  he  was 
a  firm  believer."  At  one  time  Mr.  Lincoln  said:  "I  have 
never  united  myself  with  any  church  because  I  found 
difficulty  in  giving  my  assent,  without  mental  reservation, 
to  the  long  and  complicated  statements  of  Christian  doc- 
trine which  characterized  their  articles  of  belief,  and 
confession  of  faith.  When  any  church  will  inscribe  over 
its  altar,  as  its  sole  qualification  of  membership,  the 
Savior's  condensed  statement  of  the  substance  of  both 
law  and  gospel,  'Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind, 
and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,'  that  church  will  I  join  with 
all  my  heart  and  soul."  Dr.  Gunsaulus,  of  Chicago,  a 
man  of  profound  piety,  and  unquestioned  orthodoxy,  is 
reported  to  have  said:  "I  would  have  Plymouth  Church 
open  the  door  to  such  a  man  as  religiously  great  as 
Abraham  Lincoln,  however  small  he  might  be  theolog- 
ically. I  would  make  the  invitation  and  method  of  en- 
trance into  the  church  as  wide  and  inclusive  as  her 
Founder  made  them." 

Forgiveness. 

ONE  of  the  attributes  possessed  by  Christ  was  the 
pardoning  power.  He  was  always  ready  to  forgive  the 
erring  who  truly  repented.  Many  cried  to  him  to  have 
mercy  upon  them,  and  were  happily  relieved  of  their 
distresses.  For  assuming  this  power  he  was  sharply 
criticized  by  his  enemies.  They  claimed  he  had  gone 
beyond  his  authority.  He  did  not  set  himself  up  as  a 
magistrate,  hence  he  did  not  presume  to  decide  cases 


Fundamental  Principles  Taught  61 

after  the  strict  law  of  Moses.  When  the  accusers  of 
the  poor  sinful  woman  were  brought  face  to  face  to  him 
to  entrap  him  in  a  decision,  he  silenced  their  unworthy 
motives,  and  they  slank  away  self-condemned.  He  said 
to  the  woman,  ''Go,  and  sin  no  more."  He  plainly  taught 
others  the  duty  of  forgiveness,  and  that  if  they  did  not 
have  the  spirit  of  forgiveness  they  could  not  expect  for- 
giveness from  God,  nor  from  their  fellow-man.  Christ 
always  practiced  what  he  taught.  At  the  close  of  his 
life  he  manifested  a  forgiving  spirit  toward  his  enemies. 
The  last  act  performed  by  Jesus  on  the  day  of  his  death 
was  to  pardon  a  malefactor. 

LINCOLN,  as  President,  possessed  the  pardoning  power 
in  grave  offenses.  He  often  exercised  this  power  be- 
cause of  the  kindness  of  his  nature,  but  he  was  often 
criticized  for  so  doing.  He  said  he  was  "always  willing 
to  forgive  on  the  Christian  terms  of  repentance,  and  also 
to  give  ample  time  for  repentance."  Many  a  deserter, 
under  sentence  of  death,  owed  the  preservation  of  his 
life  to  the  pardoning  power  of  President  Lincoln.  He 
said,  "It  makes  me  rested  after  a  hard  day's  work  if  I 
can  find  some  good  excuse  for  saving  a  man's  life,  and 
I  go  to  bed  happy,  as  I  think  how  joyous  the  signing  of 
my  name  will  make  him  and  his  family,  and  his  friends/' 
On  Monday  of  the  last  week  Mr.  Lincoln  spent  on  earth, 
as  he  returned  from  Richmond,  he  stopped  at  City  Point 
Hospital  to  shake  hands  with  five  or  six  thousand  sol- 
diers to  let  them  know  that  he  appreciated  what  they  had 
done  for  their  country.  As  he  passed  along  with  the 
surgeon  they  came  to  a  ward  in  which  lay  a  Rebel  who 
had  been  wounded,  and  was  a  prisoner.  As  the  tall 
form  of  the  kindly  visitor  appeared  in  sight  he  was 


62  Master  and  His  Servant 

recognized  by  the  Rebel  soldier  who,  raising  himself  on 
his  elbow  in  bed,  watched  Mr.  Lincoln  as  he  approached, 
and  extending  his  hand,  exclaimed,  while  tears  ran  down 
his  cheeks,  "Mr.  Lincoln,  I  have  long  wanted  to  see  you, 
to  ask  your  forgiveness  for  ever  raising  my  hand  against 
the  old  flag."  Mr.  Lincoln  was  moved  to  tears.  He 
heartily  shook  the  hand  of  the  repentant  Rebel,  and  as- 
sured him  of  his  good  will,  and,  with  a  few  words  of 
advice,  passed  on.  On  the  day  of  his  death  he  spoke 
kindly  of  the  South,  and  rejoiced  at  the  speedy  return 
of  peace.  The  last  official  act  of  President  Lincoln,  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  date  of  his  assassination,  was  to 
pardon  a  Confederate  spy. 

The  Great  Debt. 

MAN  had  transgressed  the  holy  law  of  the  Divine 
government.  He  had  forfeited  his  right  to  live.  He  was 
condemned  to  die.  He  could  not  save  himself.  The 
law  was  of  no  avail.  Jesus  beheld  man's  helpless  con- 
dition. He  came  all  the  way  from  heaven  to  earth  to 
become  personally  and  practically  acquainted  with  man's 
circumstances,  and  to  exhibit  his  interest  in  his  case. 
How  he  sympathizes  with  man !  He  says,  "Look  to  me. 
I  will  make  your  salvation  possible,  and  redeem  you. 
But  this  is  at  great  cost.  What  will  you  pay  me  ?"  Poor 
man!  He  was  morally  bankrupt.  All  his  time,  talents, 
material  effects,  silver,  gold,  houses,  lands,  and  friends 
could  never  pay  the  debt.  But  Jesus  says :  "Look  to  me. 
It  all  depends  upon  you.  If  you  will  only  believe  in  me, 
and  live  a  life  of  consecrated  service  you  shall  live." 
What  a  joy  to  serve  him  who  has  redeemed  us,  not  with 
silver  and  gold,  but  at  a  greater  sacrifice,  and  worked 


Fundamental  Principles  Taught  63 

out  the  scheme  of  redemption  for  us.  What  a  joy  to 
feel  that  Jesus  knows  all  about  our  trials!  Surely  we 
shall  not  forsake  his  cause,  but  remain  faithful  to  the 
banner  of  the  cross  to  the  end.  The  life  of  a  believer  is 
a  life  of  conflict.  Faith  is  his  shield.  "Looking  unto 
Jesus,"  the  Christian  soldier  can  wield  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit,  and  when  he  falls  in  battle  he  can  say  with  Paul, 
"I  have  fought  a  good  fight.  I  have  finished  my  course. 
I  have  kept  the  faith." 

IN  the  early  period  of  the  Rebellion  a  young  Ver- 
monter,  only  twenty-one,  standing  guard  as  a  sentinel  in 
a  dangerous  place  was  found  asleep.  Army  discipline 
must  be  kept.  The  young  man  was  tried,  and  sentenced 
to  be  shot.  There  was  much  sympathy  in  his  case. 
When  the  matter  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln he  concluded  to  visit  the  condemned  man.  William 
Scott  was  in  his  tent  expecting  to  be  shot  the  next  day. 
He  said  of  Mr.  Lincoln:  "He  asked  me  all  about  the 
people  at  home,  the  neighbors  and  the  farm,  where  I 
went  to  school,  and  who  my  schoolmates  were.  Then 
he  asked  about  mother,  and  how  she  looked;  and  I  was 
glad  I  could  take  her  photograph  from  my  bosom  and 
show  it  to  him.  Then  Mr.  Lincoln  said,  'My  boy,  stand 
up  here  and  look  me  in  the  face.  You  are  not  going  to 
be  shot  to-morrow.  I  am  going  to  trust  you,  and  send 
you  back  to  your  regiment.  But  I  have  been  put  to  a 
good  deal  of  trouble  on  your  account.  I  have  had  to 
come  up  here  from  Washington  when  I  have  a  great 
deal  to  do;  and  what  I  want  to  know  is,  How  are  you 
going  to  pay  my  bill  ?'  The  young  man  could  scarcely 
speak,  but  told  Mr.  Lincoln  he  was  very  grateful  to  him 
for  saving  his  life,  and  would  try  to  manage  to  pay  him 


64  Master  and  His  Servant 

seme  way.  He  said  that  there  was  a  bounty  in  the  sav- 
ings bank,  and  guessed  some  money  could  be  borrowed 
by  putting  a  mortgage  on  the  old  farm,  and  he  thought 
when  pay  day  came,  with  the  help  of  the  boys,  they  might 
be  able  to  pay  him  if  it  was  not  more  than  five  or  six 
hundred  dollars.  "But  it  is  a  great  deal  more  than  that," 
said  Mr.  Lincoln.  Then  the  boy  said  he  didn't  see  just 
how,  but  was  sure  some  way  could  be  found  if  he  lived. 
Then  Mr.  Lincoln  said :  "My  boy,  my  bill  is  a  very  large 
one.  Your  friends  can  not  pay  it,  nor  your  bounty,  nor 
the  farm,  nor  all  your  comrades.  There  is  only  one  man 
in  all  the  world  who  can  pay  it,  and  his  name  is  William 
Scott.  If,  from  this  day,  William  Scott  does  his  duty, 
so  that,  if  I  was  there  when  he  comes  to  die,  he  can  look 
me  in  the  face,  as  he  does  now,  and  say,  T  have  kept 
my  promise,  and  I  have  done  my  duty  as  a  soldier/  then 
the  debt  will  be  paid.  Will  you  make  that  promise,  and 
try  to  keep  it  ?"  The  promise  was  made,  and  there  never 
was  a  better  soldier  than  William  Scott.  In  a  battle  he 
was  shot  all  to  pieces,  and  among  other  things,  he  said 
to  his  comrades,  "If  any  of  you  ever  have  a  chance  I 
wish  you  would  tell  President  Lincoln  that  I  have  never 
forgotten  the  kind  words  he  said  to  me;  that  I  have 
tried  to  be  a  good  soldier,  and  true  to  the  flag;  that  I 
should  have  paid  my  whole  debt  to  him  if  I  had  lived; 
and  that  now,  when  I  know  I  am  dying,  I  think  of  his 
kind  face,  and  thank  him  again  because  he  gave  me  the 
chance  to  fall  like  a  soldier  in  battle,  and  not  like  a 
coward,  by  the  hands  of  my  comrades." 

The  Unpardonable  Sin. 

WHILE  Christ  had  a  forgiving  spirit,  he  mentions  one 
sin,  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  can  not  be 


Fundamental  Principles  Taught  65 

forgiven.  He  says,  "All  manner  of  sin  and  blasphemy 
shall  be  forgiven  unto  men;  but  the  blasphemy  against 
the  Holy  Spirit  shall  not  be  forgiven  unto  men."  Attrib- 
uting to  Satan  that  which  belongs  to  God,  or  the  will- 
ful rejection  of  the  truth,  the  sin  against  light,  the  ma- 
licious rejection  of  the  only  means  of  salvation  can  not 
be  forgiven.  It  is  closing  up  of  the  only  way  of  pardon. 
Other  sins  may  be  repented  of,  but  the  willful  closing  of 
the  eyes  to  the  light  means  eternal  blindness.  We  are 
to  understand  that  the  unpardonable  sin  here  spoken  of 
is  not  a  specific  sin,  but  is  a  state,  a  culmination  of 
specific  acts. 

WHILE  President  Lincoln  pardoned  many  grave  of- 
fenses, there  was  one  offense  which  he  could  not  pardon. 
A  gentleman  from  Massachusetts  came  to  him  with  a 
petition  for  the  pardon  of  a  man  who  had  been  convicted 
for  being  engaged  in  the  slave  trade,  in  bringing  pegroes 
from  Africa  and  selling  them  in  this  country.  He  had 
been  sentenced  to  prison  for  five  years,  and  fined  one 
thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Lincoln  said :  "My  friend,  that  is 
a  very  touching  appeal  to  our  feelings.  You  know  my 
weakness  is  to  be,  if  possible,  too  easily  moved  by  ap- 
peals for  mercy,  and  if  this  man  were  guilty  of  the 
foulest  murder  that  the  arm  of  man  could  perpetrate  I 
might  forgive  him  on  such  an  appeal ;  but  the  man  who 
could  go  to  Africa,  and  rob  her  of  her  children,  and 
sell  them  into  interminable  bondage,  with  no  other  motive 
than  that  which  is  furnished  by  dollars  and  cents,  is  so 
much  worse  than  the  most  depraved  murderer  that  he 
can  never  receive  pardon  at  my  hands.  No !  he  may  rot 
in  jail  before  he  shall  have  liberty  by  any  act  of  mine." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

REJECTION  AND  REBELLION. 
Divided  Opinions. 

ALTHOUGH  Jesus  came  duly  commissioned  to  enter 
upon  his  work,  "there  was  much  murmuring 
among  the  people  concerning  him;  for  some  said,  He  is 
a  good  man ;  others  said,  Nay ;  but  he  deceiveth  the  peo- 
ple." According  to  some  of  their  views  he  did  not  come 
from  the  right  place.  Like  Nathanael,  they  said,  "Can 
anything  good  come  out  of  Nazareth?"  It  was  charged 
that  he  was  an  obscure  man,  uneducated,  "the  carpenter's 
son."  They  were  zealous  for  their  peculiar  traditions 
and  institutions,  and  they  feared  Jesus  was  not  in  sym- 
pathy with  them.  Jesus  told  them  plainly,  'Think  not 
that  I  a'm  come  to  destroy  the  law,  or  the  prophets;  I 
am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill."  His  rejection 
by  the  people  of  Nazareth,  where  he  was  reared,  was  a 
sorrowful  event  in  the  life  of  Christ. 

WHILE  Lincoln  had  been  duly  elected  President  of  the 
United  States,  there  were  divided  opinions  in  reference 
to  him,  both  in  the  North  and  in  the  South.  It  was  de- 
clared by  some  that  ne  was  ignorant,  and  practically  un- 
known, a  "rail  splitter,"  and  utterly  unfit  for  the  presi- 
dency. The  Southern  people  were  very  zealous  for  the 
institution  of  slavery,  and  prejudiced  against  a  man  se- 
lected from  the  North.  They  concluded  that  "no  good 
thing  could  come  from  the  North"  to  suit  them  for 
President.  Mr.  Lincoln  told  them  plainly  that  he  had 

66 


Rejection  and  Rebellion  67 

no  disposition  to  interfere  with  slavery  where  it  already 
existed;  that  he  did  not  propose  to  destroy  the  law,  but 
to  execute  it,  and  that  all  their  rights  would  be  preserved 
inviolate  if  they  remained  loyal  to  the  government.  The 
fact  that  twenty-three  ministers  out  of  twenty-six,  living 
at  Springfield,  were  against  him  in  his  election  was 
something  he  could  not  understand. 

Malignant  Epithets. 

OUT  of  the  malice  of  their  hearts  the  opposers  of 
Christ  grew  more  and  more  desperate,  and  boldly  de- 
nounced him  at  various  times  and  places,  and  under 
various  circumstances.  They  charged  him  with  being  a 
"blasphemer,"  a  "gluttonous  man,"  a  "wine-bibber,^  a 
"Sabbath  breaker,"  "possessed  of  the  devil,"  a  "law 
breaker,"  guilty  of  treason,  and  worthy  of  death.  Jesus 
knew  the  blindness  of  their  hearts,  and  pitied  them.  He 
endeavored  to  show  them  their  errors,  loved  them,  and 
had  a  forgiving  spirit  until  the  end. 

As  time  passed  the  opponents  of  Mr.  Lincoln  grew 
bolder  in  treasonable  utterances.  He  was  more  and 
more  denounced,  and  every  effort  was  made  to  poison 
the  public  mind  against  him.  He  was  called  the  "Illi- 
nois ape,"  "baboon" ;  The  Richmond  Enquirer  called  him 
"Lincoln,  the  beast."  Robert  Toombs,  senator  from 
Georgia,  said  in  the  United  States  Senate  in  January 
before  Mr.  Lincoln  was  inaugurated,  "He  is  an  enemy 
of  the  human  race,  and  deserves  the  execration  of  all 
mankind."  Later,  during  his  presidency,  he  was  referred 
to  as  "the  smutty  old  tyrant  at  Washington."  It  ap- 
peared that  nothing  was  too  hard  for  some  of  them  to 


68  Master  and  His  Servant 

say  of  him  who  had  nothing  but  love  and  good  will  for 
his  enemies. 

Seeking  a  Sign. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  signs  given  from  time  to 
time  in  the  fulfillment  of  the  prophecies  in  the  coming 
of  Christ,  John's  acknowledgment,  the  testimony  at  the 
baptism  of  Christ,  the  various  miracles  performed,  and 
the  many  things  he  had  told  the  people,  they  demanded 
a  sign,  even  a  sign  from  heaven,  as  a  witness  to  the 
justness  of  his  present  and  future  purposes.  They  de- 
sired to  have  him  commit  himself  in  some  way,  or  to 
make  capital  out  of  his  refusal  to  obey  their  dictation. 
He  refused  to  comply,,  and  said,  "A  wicked  and  adul- 
terous generation  seeketh  after  a  sign,  and  there  shall 
no  sign  be  given  it."  He  did  not  propose  to  gratify 
their  evil  designs  by  exhibiting  further  signs  and  pledges 
at  the  behests  of  a  rebellious  people.  He  would  stand 
by  the  principles  he  had  already  advanced,  and  in  due 
time  there  would  be  such  manifestation  of,  and  attesta- 
tions to,  his  mission  that  would  be  even  more  than  mere 
signs. 

THE  opposition  to  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln  to  the 
presidency  filled  the  country  with  grave  fears.  What 
could  be  done  to  check  the  rising  tide  of  disunion  and 
secession?  Could  any  compromises  be  made?  He  re- 
ceived hundreds  of  letters,  was  called  upon  by  influen- 
tial newspapers,  and  many  visitors  from  the  North  and 
the  South  urging  him  to  declare  his  views  of  the  situa- 
tion, and  what  he  proposed  to  do.  Mr.  Lincoln  refused 
to  publicly  express  his  views  anew.  He  said:  "I  know 
the  justness  of  my  intentions,  and  the  utter  groundless- 


Rejection  and  Rebellion  69 

i 

ness  of  the  pretended  fears  of  the  men  who  are  filling 
the  country  with  their  clamor.  If  I  go  into  the  presi- 
dency they  will  find  me  as  I  am  on  record,  nothing  less, 
nothing  more.  My  declarations  have  been  made  to  the 
world  without  reservation.  They  have  been  often  re- 
peated, and  now  self-respect  demands  of  me,  and  of 
the  party  which  elected  me  that,  when  threatened,  I 
should  be  silent."  While  Mr.  Lincoln  refused  to  ex- 
press himself  to  the  general  public,  he  was  in  close 
touch  with  influential  leaders  of  his  party,  and  com- 
municated with  them  freely.  Of  his  opponents  he  said : 
"Party  malice,  and  not  public  good  possesses  them  en- 
tirely. They  'seek  a  sign,  and  no  sign  shall  be  given 
them.'  At  least  such  is  my  present  feeling  and  purpose." 

Rejection  of  the  Corner-stone. 

IN  the  rejection  of  Jesus  Christ  by  the  Jewish  church 
they  rejected  the  chief  corner-stone  of  the  building  in 
which  all  their  hopes  centered.  Because  they  saw  noth- 
ing desirable  in  him  he  was  ignored,  and  cast  aside  to 
their  own  ruin.  Christ  said  of  himself:  'The  stone 
which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same  is  become  the  head 
of  the  corner.  Whosoever  shall  fall  upon  that  stone 
shall  be  broken."  Peter  said  to  the  Jews  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  referring  to  Christ,  "This  is  the  stone  set  at 
nought  by  you  builders."  Paul  said  thai.  Jesus  is  "the 
chief  corner-stone"  of  the  temple  of  the  household  of 
faith. 

IN  the  rejection  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  'after  being  duly 
elected  President  of  the  United  States,  the  Southern  peo- 
ple struck  at  the  chief  corner-stone  of  the  Union.  Be- 
cause he  did  not  come  up  to  their  ideal  as  a  President  he 


70  Master  and  His  Servant 

was  set  at  naught  to  their  own  ruin.  Mr.  Lincoln  told 
them  what  would  be  their  fate  in  the  event  of  their  per- 
sistency, but  his  counsels  were  unheeded,  and  the  build- 
ers of  the  Southern  Confederacy  wrought  their  own 
destruction,  as  well  as  that  of  their  "peculiar  institution." 

A  Pathetic  Appeal. 
CHRIST,  with  a  heart  of  pity,  deplored  the  awful  fate 

which  awaited  the  stubborn  and  rebellious  Jews.  His 
appeals  to  them  were  touching.  When  he  stood  on  the 
hill  overlooking  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  his  heart  was 
touched,  and  he  shed  tears  of  sorrow,  saying,  "O  Jeru- 
salem, Jerusalem!"  He  would  afford  them  protection, 
even  as  a  mother  hen  would  protect  her  brood,  but  they 
hated  and  refused  his  entreaties.  He  said,  "If  thou 
hadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least  in  this  thy  day,  the 
things  which  belong  to  thy  peace,  but  now  are  they  hid 
from  thine  eyes."  They  went  on  blindly  to  experience 
the  awful  calamity  which  awaited  them. 

PRESIDENT  Lincoln's  appeal  to  his  "dissatisfied  fellow- 
countrymen,"  as  he  stood  on  Capitol  Hill  to  deliver  his 
inaugural  address,  was  most  touching.  Having  made 
their  threats  he  foresaw  the  folly  of  disunion.  He  said : 
"The  government  will  not  assail  you.  You  can  have  no 
conflict  without  being  yourselves  the  aggressors."  He 
also  said :  "I  am  loath  to  close.  We  must  not  be  enemies. 
Though  passion  may  have  strained,  it  must  not  break 
our  bonds  of  affection."  He  closed  with  the  hope  that 
"the  mystic  chords  of  memory,"  "touched  by  the  better 
angels  of  our  nature,"  "will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the 
Union."  The  South  rejected  his  earnest  appeals,  and 


Rejection  and  Rebellion  71 

went  on  to  learn  by  a  costly  experience  that  "the  way  of 
the  transgressor  is  hard." 

Willing  to  Die. 

JESUS  spoke  to  his  disciples,  and  others,  concerning 
the  wickedness  of  his  enemies,  and  their  designs,  which 
would  finally  culminate  in  his  death.  He  was  willing  to 
die  in  defense  of  the  truth.  He  spoke  of  the  manner  of 
his  death,  and  its  results.  He  would  surrender  his  life 
for  his  people.  He  said,  "The  good  shepherd  giveth  his 
life  for  his  sheep."  In  his  death  a  great  purpose  would 
be  served.  On  his  way  for  the  last  time  to  Jerusalem, 
the  capital  of  the  nation,  he  told  his  disciples  of  his 
approaching  tragic  death.  In  all  of  Christ's  references 
to  his  approaching  death  he  exhibited  a  cool  courage, 
and  a  strong  resolution  to  go  forward,  showing  uncom- 
promising loyalty  to  principle. 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  was  willing  to  die,  if  necessary, 
for  the  principles  of  the  government.  In  January,  be- 
fore his  inauguration  in  March,  he  said,  "I  will  suffer 
death  before  I  will  consent,  or  advise  my  friends  to  con- 
sent, to  any  concessions  or  compromises  which  look  like 
buying  the  privilege  of  taking  possession  of  the  govern- 
ment to  which  we  have  a  constitutional  right."  On  his 
way  to  Washington,  the  capital  of  the  nation,  he  said  at 
Independence  Hall,  Philadelphia,  that  the  country  must 
be  saved  on  the  basis  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, "but,"  said  he,  "if  this  county  can  not  be  saved 
without  giving  up  that  principle,  I  was  going  to  say,  I 
would  rather  be  assassinated  on  this  spot  than  surrender 
it."  In  his  first  message  to  a  called  session  of  Congress 
in  July,  1861,  referring  to  the  trust  committed  to  him, 


72  Master  and  His  Servant 

he  said  he  felt  that  he  had  no  moral  right  to  shrink,  nor 
even  to  count  the  chances  of  his  own  life  in  what  might 
follow.  During  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  he  said, 
"I  feel  a  presentiment  that  I  shall  not  outlast  the  Rebel- 
lion. When  it  is  over  my  work  will  be  done." 

An  Abandoned  Plot. 

EFFORTS  were  made  on  various  occasions  to  take  Christ 
by  force,  and  put  him  out  of  the  way.  When  he  was 
teaching  in  the  temple,  during  the  Feast  of  the  Taber- 
nacles, the  Pharisees  and  chief  priests  sent  officers  to 
take  him  by  force,  and  bring  him  to  them.  The  officers 
went  on  their  mission  to  the  temple.  They  listened  to 
his  words,  and  were  so  impressed  with  what  he  said 
that  they  could  not  gain  courage  to  lay  hands  on  him. 
Upon  their  return  to  the  council  the  chief  priests  in- 
quired, "Why  have  ye  not  brought  him?"  Their  reply 
was,  "Never  man  spake  like  this  man."  "His  discourses 
were  inimitably  powerful  and  convincing,  and  delivered 
with  unspeakable  dignity  and  propriety."  The  Pharisees 
and  chief  priests  were  enraged,  and  asked  the  officers  if 
they  also  were  deceived,  and  won  over  to  the  despised 
Nazarene.  If  those  Pharisees,  chief  priests,  and  all  the 
people  could  have  fully  known  the  mind  and  heart  of 
Jesus  they  all  would  have  been  won  over  to  him. 

IT  is  known  tha-t  plans  were  laid  at  different  times  to 
kidnap  or  murder  President  Lincoln.  In  an  article  in 
The  Youth's  Companion,  a  story  is  related  of  an  aban- 
doned plot  mentioned  by  Joel  Chandler  Harris  in  his 
book,  "On  Wings  of  Occasions,"  in  which  he  plays  with 
the  fancy  that  three  Southerners  having  access  to  the 
White  House  through  passes  granted  by  Mr.  Lincoln 


Rejection  and  Rebellion  73 

\ 

•  himself,  formed  a  plot  to  kidnap  him.  After  being  in 
Washington  for  several  days,  and  in  intercourse  with 
Mr.  Lincoln,  so  that  the  execution  of  the  plot  becomes 
apparently  possible,  they  are  so  won  over  by  the  per- 
sonality of  the  President  that  they  abandoned  the  plot. 
They  then,  in  confidence  of  his  generosity,  told  him  what 
their  intentions  had  been.  Mr.  Lincoln  then  said,  "I 
don't  understand  why  you  changed  your  minds  when 
you  had  everything  in  your  own  hands."  The  reply  was, 
"Mr.  President,  if  the  plain  people  of  the  South  knew 
you  as  well  as  we  know  you  the  war  would  not  last 
much  longer."  Mr.  Lincoln  then  said  to  the  speaker :  "No 
human  being  ever  did,  or  ever  can  pay  me  a  higher  com- 
pliment. I  wish  all  your  people  would  take  a  month  off, 
and  come  up  here  to  kidnap  me."  It  should  not  be  over- 
looked that  this  is  only  a  fancy  sketch,  but  it  shows  the 
spirit  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DARK  DAYS. 
Forsaken. 

WHILE  Christ  was  rejected  by  the  Jewish  people, 
the  most  discouraging  thing  he  had  to  endure 
was  to  be  forsaken  by  some  who  had  become  his  friends 
and  followers.  Because  many  of  his  followers  were  dis- 
appointed in  him  in  not  giving  them  freedom  from  the 
Roman  power,  and  for  other  reasons,  it  is  recorded, 
"From  that  time  many  of  his  disciples  went  back,  and 
walked  no  more  with  him."  Even  Peter,  one  of  his 
boldest  disciples,  at  a  critical  time,  denied  him.  Judas, 
another  disciple,  treacherously  betrayed  him. 

WHILE  the  Southern  people  rejected  Lincoln  as  Presi- 
dent, he  had  many  enemies  in  the  North,  but  the  most 
painful  fact  was,  as  the  war  progressed,  some  of  his 
best  friends  deserted  him,  declared  he  should  not  be  re- 
elected  President,  and  proposed  another  candidate.  The 
hopes  of  a  speedy  peace  faded,  and  the  government  hesi- 
tated to  strike  at  the  institution  which  was  the  real  cause 
of  the  war-  Good  and  loyal  men  could  not  understand 
it.  Wendell  Phillips,  the  talented  and  life-long  anti- 
slavery  orator  and  agitator,  called  Lincoln  a  traitor,  the 
war  a  failure,  and  openly  advocated  disunion  because 
the  slaves  had  not  been  given  their  freedom. 

A  Depleted  Treasury. 

THERE;  was  a  time  in  the  ministry  of  Christ  when  he 
was  short  of  funds  to  meet  his  financial  necessities,  and 

74 


Dark  Days  75 

the  demands  made  upon  him.  It  was  a  case  of  necessity 
that  faced  him.  Loyalty  to  principle,  to  justice,  and  the 
cause  he  represented,  demanded  that  the  tribute  money 
should  be  paid.  After  consulting  with  Peter  in  regard 
to  the  emergency,  Christ  resorted  to  an  extraordinary 
device,  which  was  legitimate,  that  the  necessary  money 
might  be  obtained. 

UPON  entering  the  presidency  Mr.  Lincoln  found  the 
treasury  of  the  United  States  practically  empty.  An 
emergency  was  on  hand  that  required  much  money.  The 
credit  of  the  government  was  at  stake.  The  situation 
was  indeed  embarrassing.  In  consultation  with  a  friend 
an  honorable  scheme  was  devised  that  furnished  the 
government  with  "greenbacks"  necessary  to  carry  on  the 
war. 

A  Divided  House. 

JESUS  taught  that  if  a  house  was  divided  against  itself 
that  house  could  not  stand.  This  was  said  in  answer  to 
the  charge  that  he  cast  out  devils  by  the  power  of 
Beelzebub,  the  prince  of  devils.  This  was  equal  to  say- 
ing that  Satan  cast  out  Satan,  which  would  be  the  de- 
struction of  his  own  kingdom.  Their  own  argument 
recoiled  upon  their  own  heads.  The  statement  made  by 
Christ  holds  good  in  all  kinds  of  government,  social, 
political,  or  religious.  "In  union  there  is  strength," 
"United  we  stand,  divided  we  fall." 

IN  assuming  the  presidency,  Mr.  Lincoln  found  a  di- 
vided government.  Three  years  before  he  had  said,  '  'A 
house  divided  against  itself  can  not  stand.'  I  believe  the 
government  can  not  endure  permanently  half  slave  and 


76  Master  and  His  Servant 

half  free.  I  do  not  expect  the  Union  to  be  dissolved- 
I  do  not  expect  the  house  to  fall — but  I  do  expect  it  will 
cease  to  be  divided.  It  will  become  all  one  thing  or  the 
other."  Now  he  finds  a  condition  which  is  indeed  de- 
plorable, a  divided  nation  in  actual  combat,  fighting  for 
great  antagonistic  principles,  which  shall,  ultimately  "be- 
come all  one  thing  or  the  other." 

A  Man  of  Sorrows. 

JESUS  was  called  the  "man  of  sorrows."  Isaiah  said 
long  before  concerning  him,  that  "his  visage  was  so 
marred,  more  than  any  man,  and  his  form  more  than 
the  sons  of  men";  that  he  would  be  "a  man  of  sorrows, 
and  acquainted  with  grief."  This  prophecy  was  literally 
fulfilled.  There  were  many  things  in  the  life  of  Christ 
which  brought  intense  sorrow  to  his  soul.  Near  the 
close  of  his  life,  when  all  the  sorrows  and  guilt  of  the 
world  seemed  to  have  centered  in  him,  he  cried  out,  "My 
soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death."  "These 
words,"  says  Scott,  "are  the  most  expressive  imagin- 
able, and  indicate  the  greatest  dejection,  anguish  and  hor- 
ror of  mind  which  can  be  conceived."  So  great  was  his 
burden  of  soul  that  he  was  willing  to  die  to  be  relieved 
of  his  intense  sorrow. 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  was*  truly  a  man  of  sorrows. 
F.  B.  Carpenter,  the  artist,  who  for  six  months  so- 
journed at  the  White  House,  and  was  in  Mr.  Lincoln's 
company  almost  daily,  said  of  his  face :  "In  repose  it 
was  the  saddest  face  I  ever  saw.  There  were  days  when 
I  could  scarcely  look  into  it  without  crying."  At  one  time 
Mr.  Lincoln  said,  "I  can  not  fly  from  my  thoughts;  my 
solicitude  for  this  great  country  follows  me  wherever 


Dark  Days  77 

I  go."  At  another  time  he  said,  "Oh,  I  wish  I  had  never 
been  born."  Sometimes  when  the  woes  of  the  country 
pressed  most  heavily  upon  him  he  envied  the  dead  sol- 
dier sleeping  in  the  cemetery.  In  her  book,  "My  Story 
of  the  War,"  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Livermore,  says,  "After 
the  dreadful  repulse  of  our  forces  at  Fredericksburg, 
when  the  onslaught  was  terrible,  the  agony  of  the  Presi- 
dent wrung  from  him  the  bitter  cry,  'Oh,  if  there  is  a 
man  outside  of  hell  that  suffers  more  than  I  do  I  pity 
him/" 

A  Burden  Bearer. 

CHRIST  bore  the  burdens  of  a  sinful  world.  The 
prophet  Isaiah,  using  the  future  for  the  past,  says, 
"Surely  he  hath  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sor- 
rows," and  that  "he  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions, 
and  bruised  for  our  iniquities,"  also  "the  chastisement 
of  our  peace  was  upon  him" ;  and  that  "the  Lord  hath 
laid  upon  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all."  It  was  further 
said,  "The  government  shall  be  upon  his  shoulder."  He 
bore  these  burdens  until  the  tragic  end  came.  Peter  says 
he  "bore  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we 
being  dead  to  sins,  should  live  unto  righteousness." 

AT  the  head  of  the  government,  representing  the  peo- 
ple, Lincoln  suffered  untold  burdens  in  their  behalf.  At 
one  time,  as  he,  on  horseback,  reviewed  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  after  many  defeats,  the  angry  clamor  of 
an  unhappy  North,  the  dead  of  a  dozen  battlefields,  all 
seemed  written  on  his  face,  an  eyewitness  says :  "None 
of  us,  to  our  dying  day,  can  forget  that  countenance.  It 
was  said  to  each  other,  'Did  you  ever  see  such  a  look  on 
any  man's  face?'  'He  is  bearing  the  burdens  of  the 


78  Master  and  His  Servant 

nation.'  It's  an  awful  load ;  it's  killing  him.'  Henry 
Ward  Beecher  said,  "On  his  shoulder  rested  a  govern- 
ment dearer  to  him  than  his  own  life."  He  bore  these 
burdens  until  the  country  was  saved,  then  his  life  was 
surrendered. 


CHAPTER  X. 

EMANCIPATION. 
A  New  Commandment. 

GEIKIE,  in  his  "Life  of  Christ,"  says :  "Jesus  throws 
down  the  dividing  prejudices  of  nationality,  and 
teaches  universal  love  without  distinction  of  race,  merit 
or  rank.  A  man's  neighbor,  henceforth,  was  every  one 
who  needed  help,  even  an  enemy."  "It  was  the  first 
proclamation  of  a  universal  religion."  Jesus  declares, 
"A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you."  The  old  law 
commanded  men  to  "love  their  neighbor  as  themselves," 
but  the  new  commandment  explained  this  with  new 
clearness,  enforced  by  new  motives,  illustrated  by  new 
examples,  and  a  new  application,  and  obeyed  in  a  new 
manner.  It  was  a  new  characteristic  of  citizenship  in 
the  new  kingdom.  The  new  commandment  was  not  the 
doing  away  with  the  old  law,  but  the  expansion  of  the 
old  law. 

"I  NEVER  had  a  feeling,  politically,  that  did  not  spring 
from  the  sentiments  embraced  in  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence," said  Abraham  Lincoln  on  a  certain  occa- 
sion. On  a  former  occasion  he  said,  "I  think  the 
authors  of  that  notable  instrument  intended  to  include 
all  men,  but  they  did  not  declare  all  men  equal  in  all 
respects.  They  did  not  mean  to  say  all  men  were  equal 
in  color,  size,  intellect,  moral  development,  or  social  ca- 
pacity," but  "equal  with  certain  inalienable  rights, 
among  which  was  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happi- 
ness." At  another  time,  in  speaking  of  the  great  prin- 

79 


80  Master  and  His  Servant 

ciple  involved  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  he 
said,  "It  was  that  which  gave  promise  that  in  due  time 
the  weights  would  be  lifted  from  the  shoulders  of  all 
men,  and  that  all  should  have  an  equal  chance."  During 
the  war  he  said :  'The  dogmas  of  the  quiet  past  are  inad- 
equate to  the  stormy  present.  As  our  case  is  new,  so 
we  must  think  anew,  and  act  anew." 

Crossing  the  Line. 

THE  new  commandment  was  to  be  followed  by  a 
practical  application  upon  the  part  of  the  one  who  an- 
nounced it.  This,  Jesus  did.  Woman  was  degraded, 
and  it  was  a  disgrace  for  a  man,  especially  a  Rabbi,  to 
be  found  talking  to  a  woman.  Even  the  disciples  mar- 
velled at  Jesus  as  he  talked  to  a  woman  at  Jacob's  well. 
Race  prejudice  was  very  strong  with  the  Jews.  They 
seemed  to  think  it  a  duty  to  hate  the  Samaritans  and  the 
publicans.  They  found  fault  with  Jesus  because  he  ate 
with  publicans  and  sinners.  Jesus  treated  all  alike,  male 
and  female,  saints  and  sinners,  Jews  and  Gentiles,  bond 
and  free.  All  class  distinctions  were  lost  sight  of  as  he 
"went  about  doing  good." 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  emphasized  the  fact  that  all  men 
are  created  equal.  He  not  only  recognized,  and  taught 
the  universal  brotherhood  of  mankind,  but  he  acted  upon 
that  principle.  This  is  illustrated  in  an  incident,  given 
by  a  writer,  which  occurred  when  Lincoln  was  in  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  after  General  Grant  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  that  city.  The  colored  people  were  very  demon- 
strative as  the  President  walked  the  streets  of  that  city. 
"  'May  the  Lord  bless  you,  President  Linkum !'  said  an 
old  negro,  removing  his  hat,  and  bowing,  with  tears  of 


Emancipation  81 

joy  rolling  down  his  cheeks.  The  President  removed  his 
own  hat,  and  bowed  in  silence,  but  it  was  a  bow  which 
upset  the  forms,  laws,  customs  and  ceremonies  of  cen- 
turies. .It  was  a  death-shock  to  chivalry  and  a  mortal 
wound  to  caste." 

Proclamation  of  Freedom. 

IN  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth  Jesus  read  the  prophecy 
of  Isaiah  referring  to  himself,  "He  hath  appointed  me 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor ;  he  hath  sent  me  to  heal 
the  broken  hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives, 
and  recovery  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them 
that  are  bruised."  Then,  as  he  laid  down  the  parchment, 
he  said,  "This  day  is  this  scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears," 
and  they  "wondered  at  the  gracious  words  which  pro- 
ceeded out  of  his  mouth."  He  declared  freedom  of  con- 
science, of  mind,  and  of  soul,  freedom  of  body,  and 
freedom  of  worship.  He  declared  that  the  truth,  as 
embodied  in  him,  would  give  freedom  to  all  kinds  of 
bondage.  Later  he  gave  out  the  world-wide  proclama- 
tion, "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  every  creature."  Wherever  man  is  found,  regardless 
of  his  condition,  this  gospel  of  freedom  is  to  be  pro- 
claimed. 

IN  his  Emancipation  Proclamation,  Abraham  Lincoln 
proclaimed  freedom  to  millions  of  people  in  slavery. 
F.  B.  Carpenter,  the  artist,  says  the  proclamation  was 
"an  act  unparalleled  for  moral  grandeur  in  the  history 
of  mankind."  The  London  Spectator  said,  "We  can  not 
read  it  without  the  renewed  conviction  that  it  is  the 
noblest  political  document  known  to  history."  In  his 
immortal  Gettysburg  address  Mr.  Lincoln  said,  'This 


82  Master  and  His  Servant 

nation,  under  God,  shall  have  a  new  baptism  of  free- 
dom." Bishop  Simpson  said :  "The  Proclamation  of 
Emancipation  not  only  freed  the  slave,  but  freed  the 
nation.  Free  speech  was  restored.  The  pulpit  and  the 
press  were  unshackled.  The  dark  blot  that  had  rested 
on  our  national  honor  was  removed,  and  the  nation  stood 
proudly  a  united  and  free  people  among  the  nations  of 
the  earth." 

Weakness  of  the  Law. 

THE  Apostle  Paul  says  the  law  of  Moses  was  "but  a 
shadow  of  good  things  to  come."  The  moral  law  in  itself 
was  inadequate,  and  could  not  "make  the  comers  there- 
unto perfect."  Again  Paul  says,  "For  what  the  law 
could  not  do  in  that  it  was  weak  through  the  flesh,  God 
sending  his  own  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and 
for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh,  that  the  righteousness 
of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled  in  us  who  walk  not  after 
the  flesh,  but  after  the  spirit."  Christ  did  what  the  law 
could  not  do.  The  laws  of  the  country  can  not  make 
men  honest.  There  must  be  a  higher  law  to  effect  hon- 
esty. Freedom  in  Christ  is  above  all  other  laws.  It  is 
"the  perfect  law  of  liberty,"  and  makes  "free  indeed." 
The  end  of  the  law  centered  in  Jesus  Christ. 

MR.  LINCOLN  recognized  the  fact  that  as  a  matter  of 
civil  administration,  he  had  no  lawful  power  to  effect 
emancipation  in  any  State.  He  says  it  was  done  as  an 
act  of  "military  necessity."  By  the  laws  of  all  civilized 
countries  the  property  of  traitors  and  rebels  becomes 
forfeited  to  the  State.  Upon  this  theory  slave  property 
should  be  forfeited  to  the  Government,  and  then  the 
Government  could  declare  such  persons  as  had  been  held 


Emancipation  83 

as  slaves  free.  Wliat  the  civil  law  could  not  do  Mr. 
Lincoln  could  do  as  "an  act  of  justice,"  "upon  mititary 
necessity,"  backed  up  by  "the  considerate  judgment  of 
mankind,  and  the  gracious  favor  of  Almighty  God." 
'The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  the  assertion  that 
all  men  are  created  free.  Mr.  Lincoln's  Proclamation  of 
Emancipation  was  the  demonstration  of  this  great  truth." 

The  Transfiguration. 

A  SHORT  time  before  the  death  of  Christ,  as  he  stood 
on  a  mountain,  his  glorious  majesty  was  revealed.  Over 
his  countenance  came  a  light  which  shone  as  the  bright- 
ness of  the  sun,  and  his  garments  shone  with  a  strange 
light.  His  whole  form  shone  with  such  matchless 
splendor  that  those  who  witnessed  it  gazed  with  un- 
bounded admiration.  In  connection  with  this  scene  a 
bright  cloud  overshadowed  the  party  which  filled  them 
with  a  strange  prophetic  rapture.  By  this  divine  mani- 
festation, the  "Man  of  Sorrows"  was  strengthened  for 
his  coming  trials,  and  the  faith  of  those  who  witnessed  it 
was  strengthened.  Peter,  one  of  the  witnesses,  referred 
to  it  years  afterward,  saying,  "We  were  eye-witnesses 
of  his  majesty  .  .  .  when  we  were  with  him  in  the 
holy  mount." 

ONLY  a  month  and  ten  days  before  Mr.  Lincoln's 
death,  as  he  stood  on  Capitol  Hill  to  deliver  his  second 
inaugural  address,  a  strange  incident  occurred.  J.  H. 
Barrett,  a  Lincoln  biographer,  says :  "The  bright  sun- 
light, hitherto  obscured  all  the  morning,  broke  from  the 
clouds,  as  if  by  miracle,  and  illuminated  his  face  and 
form,  as  he  bowed  acknowledgment  to  the  boisterous 
greeting  of  the  people.  With  wonder  and  joy,  the  mul- 


84  Master  and  His  Servant 

titude  accepted  the  omen  as  something  more  than  un- 
meaning chance."  Another  writer  says,  :'The  sunlight 
broke  through  the  clouds,  and  fell  upon  him  with  a 
glory  afterwards  felt  to  have  been  an  omen  of  the 
martyr's  crown  which  was  so  soon  to  rest  upon  his 
head."  Mr.  Lincoln  was  much  impressed  by  the  strange 
scene.  Miss  Anna  Dickenson,  an  "eye  witness,"  after- 
ward, in  a  lecture  delivered  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, Mr.  Lincoln  being  present,  eloquently  referred  to 
the  sun-burst  as  a  happy  omen. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  END  DRAWING  NEAR. 
Going  to  Jerusalem. 

JESUS  often  spoke  of  his  death,  and  he  now  turns  his 
face  from  Galilee  towards  Jerusalem  for  the  last 
time.  Luke  says,  "And  it  came  to  pass  when  the  time 
was  come  that  he  should  be  received  up,  he  stedfastly 
set  his  face  to  go  to  Jerusalem,"  He  apprehended  all 
that  awaited  him  when  he  should  arrive,  but  his  resolu- 
tion did  not  fail  him.  He  looked  beyond,  and  regarded 
the  blessed  results.  He  looked  to  the  issue,  and  tri- 
umphed in  prospect.  He  had  "the  joy  set  before  him" 
continually  in  his  eye,  and  his  suffering  and  death  were 
regarded  merely  as  preparatory  to  it. 

THE  Honorable  Murat  Halstead  says:  "It  is  said  that 
Abraham  Lincoln,  on  the  night  the  assassin  killed  him, 
chatted  with  his  wife  in  the  box  at  the  theater  where  they 
sat  together  hardly  conscious  of  the  passing  play,  and 
they  discussed  plans,  for  the  country  was  to  have  peace, 
and  they  were  interested  with  each  other,  for  they  had 
not  been  able  to  think  of  their  own  future.  The  promise 
of  peace  to  them  was  specially  blessed,  and  the  talk  of 
Lincoln  then  and  there  was  of  going  to  Jerusalem.  It  is 
pathetic  that  this  seems  to  have  been  the  last  thought  in 
the  long  burdened  brain  before  the  murderer's  pistol  was 
fired ;  his  head  fell  on  his  bosom,  and  there  was  for  him 
'Jerusalem,  the  Golden/ 

85 


86  Master  and  His  Servant 

The  Triumphal  Entry. 

ON  Sunday  before  his  crucifixion,  which  is  now  cele- 
brated as  "Palm  Sunday,"  Jesus  entered  Jerusalem,  the 
Jewish  capital.  It  was  known  that  he  was  coming  and  a 
grand  reception  awaited  him.  The  excitement  became 
intense.  The  applause  upon  the  part  of  the  poor  Gali- 
leans, and  his  despised  followers,  was  great  as  they  cried 
out,  "Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David!"  "Blessed  is  he 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord !"  "Hosanna  in  the 
highest!"  The  multitude  caught  up  the  joyous  strain. 
Out  of  respect  they  spread  their  outer  garments  in  the 
way,  and  cut  branches  from  the  palm  trees,  emblems  of 
joy  and  victory,  and  strewed  them  in  the  way.  They 
hailed  Jesus  as  their  deliverer  in  whom  all  their  hopes 
centered.  The  whole  city  was  filled  with  intense  excite- 
ment, occasioned  by  the  triumphal  entry,  which  was  gall 
and  bitterness  to  the  proud  Pharisees,  but  they  were 
powerless  to  stay  the  flow  of  enthusiasm. 

ON  Palm  Sunday,  the  Sunday  before  Lincoln's  as- 
sassination, he  entered  Richmond,  the  Confederate  capi- 
tal, which  had  just  surrendered  to  the  Union  forces.  As 
soon  as  his  arrival  became  known,  from  all  sides  the 
colored  people,  whom  he  had  delivered  from  bondage, 
crowded  around  him  in  wild  enthusiasm.  Men,  women, 
and  children  joined  the  increasing  throng,  shouting,  hal- 
lowing, and  dancing  with  great  delight.  Men  threw  up 
their  hats,  the  women  waved  their  bonnets  and  handker- 
chiefs, clapped  their  hands,  and  the  air  rang  with  a 
tumultuous  chorus:  "Glory  to  God!"  "Glory,  glory!" 
"Bless  de  Lord!"  "God  bless  you,  Massa  Linkum!" 
The  streets  became  almost  impassable  o'n  account  of  the 
increasing  multit'^ie,  till  soldiers  were  summoned  to 


The  End  Drawing  Near  87 

clear  the  way.     It  was  a  great  privilege  for  the  poor, 
down-trodden  people  to  behold  their  benefactor. 

Last  Meeting  with  Disciples  and  Cabinet. 
IN  a  large  upper  room  of  a  house  in  Jerusalem  Jesus 
held  his  last  meeting  with  his  disciples  a  few  hours 
before  his  arrest.  He  spoke  of  the  future.  Great  ques- 
tions were  to  be  met  and  solved.  He  spoke  of  the  great 
law  of  love  which  should  characterize  the  conduct  of  his 
disciples  in  the  future  economy  of  his  kingdom.  Besides 
the  law  of  love,  he  spoke  of  union  and  peace.  He  an- 
swered many  questions  asked  by  the  disciples.  They 
were  deeply  grateful  for  his  instructive  and  comforting 
words.  While  Jesus  was  teaching  great  truths,  upon 
which  depended  the  welfare  of  the  world,  the  traitor 
was  arranging  his  plans  to  carry  the  betrayal  into  exe- 
cution. 

A  FEW  hours  before  his  assassination  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
his  cabinet  had  a  meeting.  As  the  Rebellion  was  now 
at  an  end,  the  mode  of  dealing  with  the  Rebel  States 
and  people  was  under  consideration.  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
in  favor  of  lenient  measures.  He  advocated  that  for- 
bearance, clemency,  and  charity  should  be  the  control- 
ling principles  in  dealing  with  difficult  problems  await- 
ing practical  solution.  He  spoke  kindly  of  General  Lee, 
and  others  of  the  Confederacy.  While  these  charitable 
feelings  filled  the  mind  of  the  President,  the  traitor  was 
arranging  to  carry  out  the  dreadful  plot  of  his  assas- 
sination. 

A  Memorial  Instituted. 

ON  Thursday  evening  before  his  crucifixion  on  Friday, 
Jesus  instituted  a  memorial  service,  called  the  Lord's 


88  Master  and  His  Servant 

\ 

Supper,  or  the  Holy  Eucharist,  which  has  been  kept  up 
by  Christians  until  this  day.  The  Passover  Feast  had 
been  kept  from  the  time  of  the  exodus  from  Egypt,  con- 
sisting of  the  paschal  lamb,  unleavened  bread,  bitter 
herbs,  and  other  substances  in  commemoration  of  the 
bitter  experiences  of  the  Israelites,  and  the  passing  over 
of  the  destroying  angel  on  seeing  the  blood  sprinkled  on 
the  door  posts.  Christ  gave  the  Passover  a  new  significa- 
tion by  taking  only  bread,  and  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  to 
represent  his  broken  body,  his  shed  blood,  and  the  pass- 
ing over  our  sins  through  his  sufferings  and  death.  The 
feast  was  to  be  celebrated  oftener  than  the  old  order 
required. 

THANKSGIVING  services  were  observed  in  Bible  times 
and  countries,  and  on  down  through  the  early  history 
of  this  country.  Before  President  Lincoln's  day  there 
had  been  thanksgiving  services  held  at  various  times,  on 
various  occasions,  by  proclamation  of  Presidents,  and 
governors,  but  not  regularly.  President  Lincoln  insti- 
tuted the  annual  thanksgiving  services  by  proclamation 
for  the  last  Thursday  in  November,  in  1863  and  1864, 
and  such  services  have  been  held  throughout  the  United 
States,  on  the  last  Thursday  in  November  in  each  year 
until  the  present. 

Gethsemane. 
REFERENCE  has  been  made,  under  another  topic,  to  the 

sorrows  of  Christ.  It  was  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane, 
on  the  night  of  his  arrest,  that  he  went  through  the 
greatest  mental  anguish.  The  world  was  against  him. 
its  sins  were  upon  him,  and  his  death  was  at  hand.  The 
agony  of  his  soul  was  so  great  that  he  not  only  shed 


The  End  Drazving  Near  89 

galling  tears,  accompanied  by  painful  pleadings  with  his 
lips,  but  even  the  pores  of  his  body  forced  blood  for 
relief.  Prostrate  on  the  cold  ground  he  prayed  in  mortal 
agony,  "O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass 
from  me;  nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt." 
Three  times  was  this  request  made.  He  was  strength- 
ened, drank  the  bitter  cup  to  its  dregs,  gained  the  vic- 
tory, and  was  prepared  for  the  dreadful  ordeal.  H;s 
hour  came.  What  a  wonderful  story  of  love! 

UNDER  a  former  topic  reference  was  made  to  Mr. 
Lincoln's  sorrows.  There  were  times  when  his  sorrows 
amounted  to  agony.  After  his  election  to  the  presidency, 
and  before  his  inauguration,  he  said  to  an  old  friend, 
Judge  Gillespie,  in  Springfield,  Illinois:  "Every  hour 
adds  to  the  difficulty  I  am  called  upon  to  meet,  and  the 
present  administration  does  nothing  to  check  the  tend- 
ency toward  dissolution.  I,  who  have  been  called  to 
meet  this  awful  responsibility,  am  compelled  to  remain 
here,  doing  nothing  to  avert,  or  lessen  its  force  when  it 
comes  to  me.  I  see  the  duty  devolving  upon  me.  I 
have  read  upon  my  knees  the  story  of  Gethsemane, 
where  the  Son  of  God  prayed  in  vain  that  the  cup  of 
bitterness  might  pass  from  him.  I  am  in  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane  now,  and  my  cup  of  bitterness  is  full,  and 
overflowing."  But  Mr.  Lincoln  was  given  grace  and 
strength  for  his  trials. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CRUCIFIXION  AND  ASSASSINATION. 
A  Wicked  Conspiracy. 

A  CONSPIRACY  had  been  formed  by  the  chief 
priests  to  take  Jesus,  and  put  him  to  death.  Other 
plans  in  the  past  had  been  unsuccessful  in  their  execu- 
tion. In  this  case  Judas  Iscariot,  who  was  acquainted 
with  the  surroundings,  and  who  knew  where  Jesus  would 
be,  was  the  agent  to  carry  out  the  plans,  and  they  were 
successful.  The  time  chosen  was  the  forepart  of  the 
night.  The  disciples  escaped  by  flight. 

A  NUMBER  of  persons  were  engaged  in  the  conspiracy 
to  assassinate  President  Lincoln.  Other  efforts  in  the 
past  were  abortive.  In  this  instance  John  Wilkes  Booth, 
who  was  acquainted  with  all  the  surroundings,  and  who 
knew  where  Mr.  Lincoln  would  be  that  night,  was  the 
agent  to  carry  out  the  purposes  of  the  conspiracy,  which 
were  successfully  executed.  Members  of  the  cabinet 
and  others  were  to  be  killed  at  the  same  time,  but  these 
efforts  were  failures. 

Going  to  the  Cross  and  to  the  Theater. 
IT  was  ordered  by  his  enemies  that  Jesus  should  be 
put  to  death  by  crucifixion  on  a  cross.  He  could  have 
called  a  legion  of  arlgels  to  his  rescue,  but  he  went  to 
the  despised  cross  for  the  sake  of  others.  It  was  for 
our  sakes  that  he  was  thus  humiliated  by  a  disgraceful 
Heath. 

90 


Crucifixion  and  Assassination  91 

IT  was  arranged  by  the  conspirators  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
should  be  assassinated  in  a  theater.  He  went  to  the 
theater  that  fatal  night,  not  that  he  personally  wanted 
to  go,  but  he  went  for  the  sake  of  others.  The  proceeds 
of  the  play  were  to  be  used  for  charitable  purposes,  and 
it  was  advertised  that  he  was  to  be  there,  and  he  did 
not  want  to  disappoint  his  friends. 

"It  is  Finished." 

THE  crucifixion  of  Jesus  Christ  took  place  at  the  capi- 
tal of  the  nation,  on  what  is  now  called  Good  Friday. 
For  six  hours  the  innocent  victim  languished.  At  last 
he  said,  "It  is  finished."  His  active  ministry  of  three 
and  one-half  years  was  done,  and  the  scheme  of  human 
redemption  accomplished.  The  centurion  standing  by 
after  having  witnessed  the  death  of  Christ,  and  the  im- 
pressive surroundings,  exclaimed,  "Truly,  this  was  the 
Son  of  God!" 

THE  assassination  of  Lincoln  occurred  at  the  capital 
of  the  nation  on  Good  Friday.  For  ten  hours  the  inno- 
cent victim  languished.  When  he  expired  his  four  years 
of  strenuous  work  as  President  were  finished,  and  with 
his  death  the  Rebellion  was  suppressed.  As  Mr.  Stan- 
ton,  Secretary  of  War,  stood  by,  when  the  end  came, 
he  broke  the  silence  by  saying,  "Now  he  belongs  to  the 
ages." 

Love  of  the  Victims. 

EVEN  on  the  cross  Christ  loved  his  blinded  crucifiers, 
and  prayed,  "Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do."  He  represented  us  as  he  died,  and  he 
died  for  every  creatur*  His  commission,  after  his  resur- 


92  Master  and  His  Servant 

rection,  was  that  the  gospel  should  be  preached  to  every 
creature.  Mr.  Moody  says :  "I  can  imagine  Peter  saying, 
'Lord,  do  you  really  mean  that  we  are  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature?'  'Yes,  Peter.'  'Shall  we  go 
back  to  Jerusalem  and  preach  the  gospel  to  those  who 
murdered  you?'  'Yes,  Peter,  go  back  and  tarry  there 
until  you  are  endued  with  power  from  on  high.  Offer 
the  gospel  to  them  first.  Go,  search  that  man  who  spat 
in  my  face;  tell  him  I  forgive  him;  there  is  nothing  in 
my  heart  but  love  for  him.  Go,  search  out  that  man 
who  put  the  cruel  crown  of  thorns  on  my  brow ;  tell 
him  that  I  have  a  crown  ready  for  him  in  my  kingdom, 
if  he  will  only  accept  salvation;  there  shall  not  be  a 
thorn  in  it,  and  he  shall  wear  it  forever  and  ever  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  Find  out  that  man  who  took  the 
reed  from  my  hand,  and  smote  my  head,  driving  the 
thorns  deeper  into  my  brow.  If  he  will  accept  salvation 
as  a  gift,  I  will  give  him  a  scepter,  and  he  may  sway  it 
as  a  king.  Go,  seek  out  that  man  who  struck  me  with 
the  palm  of  his  hand;  find  him  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  him ;  tell  him  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  was  shed 
for  all  men,  and  even  for  him  if  he  will  accept  it.  Go, 
and  seek  out  that  poor  soldier  who  drove  the  spear  into 
my  side;  tell  him  that  there  is  a  nearer  way  to  my 
heart  than  that.  Tell  him  that  I  forgive  him  freely ;  and 
tell  him  that  I  will  make  him  a  soldier  of  the  cross,  and 
my  banner  over  him  shall  be  love.' 

MR.  LINCOLN  always  had  a  forgiving  spirit,  and  this 
was  manifested  on  the  day  of  his  death.  He  was  will- 
ing to  die  for  the  love  of  his  country.  General  Banks 
said,  "It  was  because  he  represented  us  that  he  died." 
Dr.  J.  G.  Holland,  the  historian,  said,  in  an  address  at 


Crucifixion  and  Assassination  93 

Springfield,  Massachusetts,  four  days  after  the  assassi- 
nation: "Oh,  friends!  Oh,  countrymen!  I  dare  not 
speak  the  thoughts  of  vengeance  that  burn  within  me 
when  I  recall  the  shameless  deed.  I  dare  not  breathe 
those  imprecations  that  rise  to  my  lips  when  I  think  of 
this  wanton  extinction  of  a  great  and  beneficent  life. 
I  can  hardly  pray  for  justice  fully  measured  out  to  the 
mad  murderer  of  his  truest  friend,  for,  somehow,  I  feel 
the  presence  of  that  kindly  spirit,  the  magnetism  of  those 
kindly  eyes,  appealing  me  to  forbear.  I  have  come  into 
such  communion  with  his  personality  that  I  can  not 
escape  the  power  of  his  charity  and  his  Christian  for- 
bearance ;  and  the  curse,  rising  like  a  bubble  from  the 
turbid  waters  within  me,  breaks  into  nothingness  in  the 
rarer  atmosphere  which  he  throws  around  me.  If  he 
could  speak  to  me  from  that  other  shore,  he  would  say, 
what  all  his  actions  and  all  his  words  said  of  others  not 
less  guilty  than  his  assassin,  'My  murderer  was  mad 
and  mistaken,  as  well  as  malignant.  He  thought  he  was 
doing  a  great  and  glorious  deed  on  behalf  of  a  great 
and  glorious  cause.  My  death  was  necessary  to  the 
perfection  of  my  mission,  and  was  only  one  sacrifice 
among  hundreds  and  thousands  of  others  made  for  the 
same  end.' 

Rending  of  the  Veil. 

IN  connection  with  the  death  of  Christ  the  veil  of  the 
temple  at  Jerusalem,  thirty  by  sixty  feet,  which  separated 
the  Holy  Place  from  the  Most  Holy  Place,  was  rent  in 
twain  from  top  to  bottom.  The  Most  Holy  Place  was 
passed  into  only  by  the  High  Priest  once  a  year  on  the 
Day  of  Atonement,  in  token  of  the  mediation  of  Christ 
who  was  to  come.  Christ  had  now  come,  and  finished 


94  Master  and  His  Servant 

his  work,  therefore  all  types,  shadows,  and  ordinances 
pointing  to  his  coming  were  at  an  end;  the  Mosaic  dis- 
pensation was  now  abolished,  and  a  new  covenant  is 
made  by  Christ  who  offered  his  body  "once  for  all."  In 
this  "new  and  living  way,"  the  Christian  dispensation, 
all  distinctions  between  Jews  and  Gentiles  were  to  be 
obliterated.  These  things  were  typified  by  the  "rending 
of  the  veil." 

WHEN  Abraham  Lincoln  died  "Mason  and  Dixon's 
Line,"  dividing  the  North  from  the  South,  was  forever 
abolished.  Free  and  slave  States  were  to  be  known  no 
more.  The  term  "Rebel"  now  belongs  to  the  records 
of  the  past.  The  annual  debates  in  Congress  on  the 
slavery  question  were  now  at  an  end.  When  Lincoln 
died  the  veil  which  hid  his  greatness  was  torn  aside,  and 
the  whole  country  realized  what  it  had  possessed  and  lost 
in  him.  He,  "once  for  all,"  had  solved  the  problem  of 
the  ages.  By  lifting  the  veil  of  slavery  his  oft-repeated 
declaration  that  "all  men  are  created  equal,"  is  to  be 
demonstrated  in  the  new  order  of  government. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

INCIDENTS  AND  EFFECTS  OF  THE  TRAGIC 

DEATHS. 

\_ 

Impressions  on  the  People. 

IN  addition  to  the  rending  of  the  veil  of  the  temple, 
there  were  other  remarkable  events  connected  with 
the  death  of  Christ.  At  noon  the  heavens  became  black, 
and  the  sun  was  turned  into  darkness.  For  three  hours 
dense  darkness  covered  the  surroundings.  It  was  no 
natural  eclipse  of  the  sun,  for  the  sun  and  moon  were 
not  in  position  for  an  eclipse,  besides  a  total  eclipse  of 
the  sun  does  not  last  so  long.  It  was  truly  a  "sign 
from  heaven"  for  which  the  Pharisees  had  been  clamor- 
ing. Further,  in  the  language  of  Canon  Farrar,  "An 
earthquake  shook  the  earth  and  split  the  rocks,  and  as  it 
rolled  away  from  their  places  the  great  stones  which 
closed  and  covered  the  cavern  sepulchers  of  the  Jews, 
so  it  seemed  to  the  imagination  of  many  to  have  disim- 
prisoned  the  spirits  of  the  dead,  and  to  have  filled  the 
air  with  ghostly  visitants,  who,  after  Christ  had  arisen, 
appeared  to  linger  in  the  Holy  City."  These  circum- 
stances of  amazement,  joined  to  all  that  had  before 
passed,  had  in  it  something  more  awful  than  had  been 
conceived,  which  filled  the  minds  of  the  people  with 
gloomy  forebodings  of  dread.  Many  of  them  smote 
their  breasts  and  returned  to  the  city.  The  poor  fright- 
ened disciples  were  unable  to  understand  or  to  explain 
the  wonderful  events  that  had  occurred.  It  was  truly 
a  day  of  signs  and  wonders,  such  as  had  never  before 
occurred  within  the  history  of  mankind. 

95 


96  Master  and  His  Servant 

WITH  Lincoln's  death  the  nation  was  awakened  from 
its  dream  of  peace  to  learn  that  its  protector,  leader, 
and  friend,  was  assassinated  by  a  wicked  avenger. 
W.  O.  Stoddard,  a  Lincoln  historian,  says :  "It  was  as 
if  there  had  been  a  death  in  every  house  throughout  the 
land.  By  North  and  South  the  awful  news  was  re- 
ceived with  a  shudder  and  a  momentary  spasm  of  un- 
belief. Then  followed  the  most  remarkable  spectacle  in 
the  history  of  the  human  race,  for  there  is  nothing  else 
at  all  like  it  on  record.  Bells  had  been  tolled  before  at 
the  death  of  a  loved  ruler,  but  never  did  all  bells  toll 
so  mournfully  as  they  did  that  day.  Business  ceased. 
Men  came  together  in  public  meetings  as  if  by  a  common 
impulse."  Another  writer  says  that  it  was  "a  deed 
which  produced  a  shock  of  horror  that  extended  not  only 
to  the  limits  of  our  own  country,  but  whose  vibrations 
were  felt  throughout  the  civilization  of  the  world." 
D.  D.  Thompson,  another  Lincoln  historian,  says :  "Satur- 
day, April  15,  [1865]  was  one  of  the  most  dreadful 
days  in  American  history.  Many  men  who,  the  day 
before,  like  children  in  their  joy,  appeared  to  have  turned 
into  fiends.  A  spirit  of  riot  was  in  the  air.  An  im- 
promptu indignation  meeting  was  held  in  Wall  Street, 
New  York,  and  an  excited  mob  had  gathered,  bent  on 
vengeance,  when  its  attention  was  arrested  by  a  young 
man  standing  on  the  balcony  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
raising  a  small  flag,  and  lifting  his  right  arm,  in  a  loud, 
clear  voice,  said,  'Fellow  citizens!  Clouds  and  darkness 
are  round  about  him.  His  pavilion  is  dark  waters,  and 
thick  clouds  of  the  skies!  Justice  and  judgment  are  the 
habitations  of  his  throne!  Mercy  and  truth  shall  go 
before  him !  Fellow  citizens !  God  reigns,  and  the 


Incidents  and  Effects  of  Deaths  97 

government  at  Washington  still  lives!"  This  short 
speech  quieted  the  mob.  The  speaker  was  General  Gar- 
field,  who  afterward  became  President  of  the  United 
States.  Miss  Ida  M.  Tarbell,  in  McClure's  Magazine, 
says  that  General  Garfield  on  that  occasion  also  made 
this  statement:  "It  may  be  almost  impious  to  state  it, 
but  it  does  seem  to  me  that  his  death  almost  parallels 
that  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  cried,  'Father,  forgive  them, 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do.'  The  author  of  this 
volume,  although  but  fourteen  years  of  age  at  that  time, 
can  never  forget  how  the  awful  news  was  received  at 
his  own  home. 

Fate  of  the  Conspirators. 

ALL  the  leaders  of  the  conspiracy  that  resulted  in  the 
crucifixion  of  Christ 'met  with  a  terrible  fate.  Farrar, 
in  his  Life  of  Christ,  says:  "And  now  mark  for  one 
moment,  the  revenges  of  history.  Has  not  his  blood 
been  on  them,  and  on  their  children?  Has  it  not  fallen, 
most  of  all,  on  those  most  nearly  concerned  in  the  deep 
tragedy?  Before  the  dread  sacrifice  was  consummated 
Judas  died  in  the  horrors  of  a  loathsome  suicide.  Caia- 
phas  was  deposed  the  year  following.  Herod  died  in 
infamy  and  exile.  Stripped  of  his  Procuratorship  very 
shortly  afterward  on  the  very  charges  he  had  tried  by 
a  wicked  concession  to  avoid.  Pilate,  wearied  out  with 
misfortunes,  died  in  suicide  and  banishment,  leaving  be- 
hind him  an  execrated  name.  The  house  of  Annas  was 
destroyed  a  generation  later  by  an  infuriated  mob,  and 
his  son  was  dragged  through  the  streets,  scourged  and 
beaten,  to  his  place  of  murder." 


98  Master  and  His  Servant 

THE  leaders  in  the  conspiracy  which  resulted  in  the 
assassination  of  Lincoln  met  with  tragic  deaths.  Booth 
was  traced  to  a  barn  in  Virginia.  He  refused  to  sur- 
render, and  the  barn  was  set  on  fire.  While  the  barn 
was  burning  he  was  shot  by  Boston  Corbett,  one  of  the 
pursuing  party,  and  three  hours  later  died  in  miserable 
agony.  Four  other  persons  connected  with  the  plot, 
Payne,  Artzerot,  Harold  and  Mrs.  Surratt,  were  ar- 
rested, convicted  and  hanged.  Others  were  arrested, 
tried  and  sentenced  for  life  to  a  penal  station  on  a  bar- 
ren, solitary  island  called  the  Dry  Tortugas,  southwest 
of  Florida,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

"Who  Shall  Declare  His  Generation?" 
THE  genealogy  of  Jesus  Christ  is  traced  back  to  the 
beginning  of  the  history  of  mankind,  but  as  the  Son  of 
man  he  left  no  descendants.  It  was  said  of  him,  "Who 
shall  declare  his  generation?  for  his  life  is  taken  from 
the  earth."  His  posterity,  however,  as  the  Son  of  God, 
is  abundantly  declared,  for  all  the  generations  of  the 
righteous  are  his  spiritual  children,  and  delight  to  honor 
his  name. 

THE  ancestry  of  Abraham  Lincoln  is  traced  back 
through  many  generations.  The  Honorable  Robert  T. 
Lincoln,  ex-Secretary  of  War,  now  living  at  Chicago, 
Illinois,  the  only  living  son  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  has  no 
living  male  child.  Hence  the  descendants  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  so  far  as  the  ancestral  name  is  concerned,  will 
become  extinct  on  the  death  of  Robert  T.  Lincoln.  But 
there  are  multitudes  of  followers  and  admirers  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  who  delight  to  think  of  him  as  "Father 
Abraham." 


Incidents  and  Effects  of  Deaths  99 

Good  from  Evil. 

IT  was  arranged  in  the  counsels  of  God  that  Christ 
should  die  for  the  cause  he  advocated,  also  as  a  substi- 
tute for  man.  God  permitted  wicked  men  to  carry  out 
their  murderous  spirit  in  putting  Christ  to  death,  but  he 
overruled  it  for  his  own  purpose,  and  for  the  good  of 
our  poor  fallen  race.  As  man  was  unable  to  keep  and 
meet  the  demands  of  the  law,  Christ  kept  the  law  per- 
fectly, and,  although  slain  through  enmity,  yet  he  "gave 
his  life  a  ramson  for  many."  Many  of  the  ways  of 
divine  Providence  we  can  not  understand,  because  his 
ways  are  above  our  ways.  By  faith  we  may  be  en- 
couraged to  accept  the  truth  that  "all  things  work  to- 
gether for  good  to  them  that  love  God." 

HONORABLE  J.  H.  BARRETT,  an  early  Lincoln  historian, 
says :  "His  work  was  really  finished.  The  'wrath  of 
man'  was  permitted  to  accomplish  its  design,  and  so 
overruled  as  to  serve  the  purpose  of  Providence.  To 
that  overruling  power,  the  nation,  and  all  who  mourn 
the  great  bereavement,  should  reverently  bow.  The  fu- 
ture of  our  nation,  as  the  past  has  been,  is  in  keeping  of 
a  Being  supremely  wise  and  good,  'who  knoweth  the  end 
from  the  beginning,'  and  ever  'doeth  all  things  well.' 
Dr.  J.  G.  Holland  said:  "I  believe  in  the  over-ruling 
providence  of  God,  and  that,  in  permitting  the  life  of  our 
chief  magistrate  to  be  extinguished,  he  only  closed  one 
volume  of  the  history  of  this  nation,  to  open  another, 
whose  pages  shall  be  illustrated  with  fresh  developments 
of  his  love,  and  sweeter  signs  of  his  mercy.  What  Mr. 
Lincoln  achieved,  he  achieved  for  us." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

BURIAL,  RESURRECTION,  AND  ASCENSION. 
Preliminaries  to  Interment. 

JOSEPH,  of  Arimathea,  a  very  wealthy  man,  an  hon- 
orable counsellor,  and  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin, 
but  who  did  not  consent  to  the  crucifixion  of  Christ, 
made  application  to  Pilate  to  remove  the  body  of  Christ 
from  the  cross.  The  request  was  granted.  Joseph, 
Nicodemus,  the  ruler  who  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  and 
others,  partially  embalmed  the  body  with  myrrh,  aloes, 
and  rich  spices,  and  wrapped  it  in  fine  linen.  A  mournful 
pageant  accompanied  the  body  of  Jesus  to  the  tomb 
where  it  was  to  be  placed  temporarily,  and  the  embalm- 
ing to  be  completed  later.  "Slowly  the  group  wound  their 
way  along  the  rocky  surface  of  Golgotha.  Their  meas- 
ured tread,  the  low  whispers,  the  subdued  wail  of  the 
women  who  followed  the  bier,  the  lowly  path  they  trode, 
all  combined  to  render  the  spectacle  one  of  touching 
solemnity."  They  were  taking  to  the  tomb  one  who  had 
died  as  a  malefactor,  but  was  to  be  buried  as  a  king. 

THE  body  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  removed  from  the 
theater  to  a  house  across  the  street  where  he  expired. 
The  body  was  then  taken  to  the  White  House  where  it 
was  embalmed.  Later  it  was  taken  to  the  capitol,  thence 
through  various  cities  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  for  inter- 
ment. "The  mournful  pageant  of  its  reception  by  the 
people  surpasses  all  power  of  words  for  its  description. 
Slowly  the  train  proceeded  from  city  to  city,  between 
almost  continuous  lines  of  sorrowing  multitudes  doing 

100 


Burial  and  Ascension  101 

last  honor  to  their  beloved  chief  magistrate  whose  hold 
upon  their  hearts  they  had  not  known  until  they  had 
lost  him."  "Never  was  king  or  emperor  honored  with 
such  obsequies  as  those  with  which  our  republic  has  laid 
to  rest  its  greatest  hero.  Nor  was  it  the  pomp  of  the 
procession,  nor  the  splendor  of  the  funeral  rites  that 
gave  character  to  the  touching  ceremony,  but  the  infinite 
tenderness  and  love  of  a  great  people." 

The  Body  Entombed. 

THE  body  of  Christ  was  taken  to  a  garden  belonging 
to  the  wealthy  and  honorable  counsellor,  Joseph.  Here 
he  had  caused  a  new  tomb  to  be  hewn  out  of  solid  rock 
for  his  own  use,  but  which  he  did  not  hestitate  to  give 
up  for  the  reception  of  the  body  of  Christ.  Here  the 
body  was  reverently  placed,  and  a  great  stone,  prepared 
for  the  purpose,  was  rolled  against  the  entrance  to  pro- 
tect the  body  from  disturbance. 

UPON  the  arrival  of  the  funeral  cortege  with  the  body 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  religious 
and  other  impressive  services  were  held  in  the  presence 
of  a  large  multitude.  A  temporary  receiving  tomb  had 
been  prepared  at  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  in  which  the  re- 
mains of  the  dead  President  were  placed.  No  epitaph 
could  be  more  appropriate  than  the  one  suggested  by 
Theodore  Tilton :  "He  bound  the  nation  and  unbound 
the  slave." 

Will  the  Body  be  Stolen? 

WHILE  the  body  of  Christ  was  being  prepared  and 
placed  in  the  tomb  his  enemies  went  to  Pilate  and  said 
that  that  deceiver  declared  that  he  would  rise  on  the 


102  Master  and  His  Servant 

third  day  after  his  death.  So,  to  prevent  his  disciples 
from  stealing  the  body,  and  then  circulating  the  report 
that  he  had  arisen,  the  tomb  was  sealed,  and  a  body  of 
soldiers  was  placed  on  guard.  After  the  resurrection 
of  Christ  the  guard  actually  did,  for  a  money  considera- 
tion, say  that  the  disciples  came  and  stole  the  body 
while  they  slept ! 

ON  the  night  of  November  7,  1876,  some  robbers 
broke  into  the  Lincoln  monument  and  "succeeded  in  get- 
ting the  lead  casket  containing  the  body  of  Lincoln  out  of 
the  sarcophagus,  and  while  waiting  for  a  wagon  to  come 
and  haul  the  body  away,  they  were  frightened  away  by 
the  officers,  who  had  notice  that  an  attempt  would  be 
made  to  steal  the  body  that  night."  The  "Lincoln  Guard 
of  Honor"  was  organized  to  guard  the  precious  dust  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  from  vandal  hands. 

He  Lives. 

CHRIST  survived  the  tomb.  He  conquered  the  power 
of  death  and  the  grave.  It  was  declared  by  an  angel  at 
the  tomb,  "He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen  as  he  said."  He 
had  said,  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life;  he  that 
believeth  in  me  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live." 
Again,  he  said,  "Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  "The 
world  can  not  bury  Christ.  The  earth  is  not  deep  enough 
for  his  tomb;  the  clouds  are  not  wide  enough  for  his 
winding-sheet.  He  still  lives  in  the  church  which  burns 
unconsumed  with  his  love,  in  the  truth  which  reflects 
his  image,  in  the  hearts  which  burn  as  he  talks  by  the 
way." 

THE  tomb  at  Springfield  could  not  hold  the  power  and 
influence  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Dead  only  in  his  mortal 


Burial  and  Ascension  103 

part  he  lives  in  his  work  forever.  William  McKinley 
said :  "A  noble  manhood,  nobly  consecrated  to  man,  never 
dies.  The  martyr  to  liberty,  the  emancipator  of  a  race, 
the  savior  of  the  only  free  government  among  men  may 
be  buried  from  sight,  but  his  deeds  will  live  in  human 
gratitude  forever."  Dr.  T.  L.  Cuyler  said,  "When  that 
grave,  in  yonder  western  prairie,  shall  finally  yield  up  its 
dead,  glorious  will  be  his  resurrection." 

Forty  Days. 

IT  was  forty  days  from  the  resurrection  of  Christ  to 
his  ascension.  These  days  were  full  of  interest  and 
importance.  He  met  his  disciples  and  the  people  on  a 
number  of  occasions.  With  his  disciples  he  planned  for 
the  future  of  his  kingdom,  the  world- wide  commission 
was  given,  and  then  his  earthly  mission  was  accomplished. 

IT  was  forty  days  from  the  second  inauguration  of 
President  Lincoln  to  his  death.  These  days  were  full 
of  interest  to  the  country.  General  Lee  surrendered  at 
Appomattox,  Richmond  was  taken,  the  Union  flag  was 
restored  to  Fort  Sumter,  and  the  "war  was  over."  Im- 
portant meetings  of  the  cabinet  were  held  concerning 
the  future  of  the  government,  the  last  being  held  the  day 
of  Lincoln's  death. 

The  Ascension. 

ON  the  day  of  Christ's  ascension  he  accompanied  his 
disciples,  and  a  multitude  of  people,  as  far  as  Bethany, 
a  place  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  He 
had  prepared  his  disciples,  so  far  as  possible,  for  his 
leaving  them,  and  had  fitted  them  to  receive,  within  a 
few  days,  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  to  illuminate  their  intel- 


104  Master  and  His  Servant 

lects  and  hearts.  With  extended  hands  of  blessings,  he 
ascended  from  earth  to  his  Father  beyond  the  clouds. 
There  he  shall  send  down  blessings  upon  the  Church, 
and  shall  carry  on  his  mediatorial  work,  as  our  great 
High  Priest,  until  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  ac- 
knowledge him,  and  crown  him  Lord  of  all. 

PHILLIPS  BROOKS  said,  in  a  sermon  preached  in  Phila- 
delphia, a  few  days  after  Mr.  Lincoln  was  removed, 
"At  the  last,  behold  him  standing  with  hand  reached  out 
to  feed  the  South  with  mercy,  and  the  North  with  charity, 
and  the  whole  world  with  peace,  when  the  Lord  who  had 
sent  him  called  him,  and  his  work  was  done."  Henry 
Ward  Beecher,  said  in  a  discourse  a  week  after  the 
assassination:  "Disenthralled  of  flesh,  and  risen  in  the 
unobstructed  sphere  where  passion  never  comes,  he  be- 
gins his  illimitable  work.  His  life  is  now  grafted  on  the 
Infinite,  and  will  be  fruitful  as  no  earth  life  can  be. 
Pass  on,  thou  that  hast  overcome." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

RECONSTRUCTION. 

New  Conditions. 

HRIST  had  accomplished  his  personal  work  on 
earth,  and  now  it  was  left  for  his  representatives 
to  carry  forward  the  .work  of  the  gospel.  While  the 
Church  was  to  be  continued  in  the  new  dispensation, 
great  outward  alterations  were  to  be  made  in  the  church, 
rendered  necessary  by  the  mission  of  Christ.  The  ordi- 
nances of  worship,  suited  to  the  state  of  the  Jews  in 
looking  forward  to  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  were  at 
an  end.  New  ordinances  of  worship,  suitable  to  the 
new  light  and  grace  bestowed,  were  to  be  appointed. 
'The  olive  tree  was  still  the  same,  only  some  branches 
were  broken  off,  and  others  grafted  into  it."  These 
new  conditions  brought  about  questions  which  required 
great  wisdom  to  properly  adjust. 

MR.  LINCOLN'S  personal  work  was  done,  and  it  was 
now  left  for  his  representatives  to  carry  forward  his 
policies.  He  said  three  days  before  his  death,  concern- 
ing reconstruction,  "It  is  fraught  with  great  difficulty. 
We  simply  must  begin  and  mold  from  disorganized  and 
discordant  elements."  While  the  United  States  govern- 
ment was  maintained,  and  its  identity  preserved,  the 
results  of  the  war,  in  the  overthrow  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy,  and  the  abolition  of  slavery,  brought  about 
new  conditions ;  hence  it  was  necessary  that  some  old 
laws  be  laid  aside,  and  new  laws  enacted.  These  new 
conditions  brought  about  many  perplexing  problems, 

105 


106  Master  and  His  Servant 

from  time  to  time,  which  required  time  and  mutual  for- 
bearance to  properly  adjust. 

The  Foundation. 

CONCERNING  the  doctrine  and  belief  expressed  by 
Peter,  "Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God," 
Christ  said,  "Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."  Paul 
said,  "Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is 
laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ."  The  Church  of  Christ  is 
founded  upon  the  everlasting  rock  of  truth.  Long  before, 
it  had  been  said  in  reference  to  Christ,  "Behold  I  lay  in 
Zion  for  a  foundation  a  stone,  a  true  stone,  a  precious 
corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation." 

A  SHORT  time  before  his  first  election,  in  conversation 
with  Honorable  Newton  Bateman,  superintendent  of 
public  instruction  for  Illinois,  Mr.  Lincoln  held  a  copy 
of  the  New  Testament  in  his  hand,  and  referred  to  it  as 
"the  rock  on  which  I  stand."  In  his  early  professional 
life,  in  referring  to  the  principles  of  government,  he  said, 
"Upon  these,  let  the  proud  fabrics  of  freedom  rest  as 
the  rock  of  its  basis,  and,  as  truly  as  has  been  said  of 
the  only  greater  institution,  'the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it.' 

\ 

Composition  of  the  Structure. 

THE  Church  was  to  be  composed  of  believers  included 
in  Christ's  commission,  "preach  the  gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture among  all  nations."  It  was  difficult  to  adjust  this 
fundamental  principle  to  the  times.  It  was  hard  to  di- 
vorce the  prejudices  of  the  people  from  their  former 
practices,  and  restrictive  associations.  The  Jews  had 


Reconstruction  107 

been  the  chosen  people  of  God.  In  the  commission  the 
Gentiles  were  included.  Equal  rights  and  privileges 
were  to  be  given  to  all.  People  were  to  be  saved  by 
grace,  through  faith,  and  not  through  race,  ancestry, 
former  conditions,  creed,  nor  ceremonies. 

MR.  LINCOLN  always  emphasized  the  immortal  declara- 
tion of  self-evident  truths  "that  all  men  are  created  equal ; 
that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  in- 
alienable rights;  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and 
the  pursuit  of  happiness."  The  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  under  the  new  regime  was  amended  to 
say,  "The  right  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  vote 
shall  not  be  denied  or  abridged  by  the  United  States,  or 
by  any  State,  on  account  of  race,  color,  or  previous  con- 
dition of  servitude."  This  broadened  the  idea  and  priv- 
ileges of  citizenship,  and  brought  a  new  element  into  the 
government. 

Two  Theories. 

As  to  the  admission  of  the  Gentiles  into  the  Christian 
Church  there  were  two  theories.  One  party  held  that 
they  were  to  be  made  Jews  by  rite  of  circumcision,  then, 
as  Jews,  they  could  be  admitted  to  the  Church  with  all 
its  rights  and  privileges.  Another  party  contended  that 
the  gospel  was  not  for  Jews  only,  but  for  all  people, 
hence  it  was  not  necessary  to  become  Jews  in  order  to 
have  Church  privileges.  Peter,  a  strict  Jew,  but  a  Chris- 
tian, after  preaching  to  a  Gentile  congregation  for  the  first 
time,  and  seeing  the  effect  of  gospel  truth  upon  them, 
declared,  "Of  a  truth  I  perceive  that  God  is  no  respecter 
of  persons;  but  in  every  nation  he  that  feareth  him  and 
worketh  righteousness  is  accepted  with  him."  At  a 


108  Master  and  His  Servant 

/• 

church  council  held  at  Jerusalem  it  was  finally  decided 
that  unnecessary  burdens  should  not  be  imposed  on  the 
Gentiles  who  had  accepted  Christ.  Therefore,  they  were 
recognized  in  the  Church  without  conforming  to  any  acts 
of  ceremonial  law. 

THE  most  important  question  to  consider  after  Mr. 
Lincoln's  death,  and  at  the  close  of  the  Rebellion,  was 
the  status  of  the  rebellious  States.  Were  they  in  the 
Union,  or  out  of  it?  One  party  held  that  the  States 
could  not  in  reality  secede,  and  hence  were  not  out,  that 
their  rebellion  was  simply  suppressed.  Another  party 
held  that,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  they  were  out,  and 
it  would  be  necessary  for  them  to  comply  with  certain 
conditions,  and  then  be  received  back  into  the  Union  by 
vote  of  Congress.  In  Mr.  Lincoln's  last  public  speech 
he  said,  "We  all  agree  that  the  seceded  States,  so  called, 
are  out  of  their  practical  relation  to  the  Union."  With- 
out deciding  whether  they  were  in  or  out,  he  thought  all 
should  join  in  acts  necessary  to  restore  the  practical 
relations  between  the  States  and  the  Union.  Whether 
they  were  in  or  out,  by  act  of  Congress,  these  States  were 
reinstated,  and  finally  restored  to  their  proper  places  in 
the  Union. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  PRESENT  AGE. 
Our  Inheritance. 

TO  have  lived  in  the  days  of  the  Savior  of  mankind 
on  earth,  to  have  looked  into  his  Joving  face,  and 
to  have  heard  his  gracious  words,  would  certainly  have 
been  a  great  privilege.  Thousands  saw  and  heard  him. 
Paul,  in  speaking  of  those  who  had  that  privilege,  named 
a  number  of  those  who  had  seen  Christ  after  his  resur- 
rection, that  he  was  seen  at  one  time  by  more  than  five 
hundred,  many  of  whom  still  survived,  but  some  had 
fallen  asleep.  After  his  resurrection  Christ  said  to 
Thomas,  "Because  thou  hast  seen  me,  thou  hast  believed ; 
blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  be- 
lieved." A  state  of  blessedness  was  to  be  theirs,  who 
by  faith  believed  in  Christ,  not  only  in  that  day,  but 
for  all  time  to  come.  Before  Jesus  went  away  he  left  a 
most  precious  legacy  to  his  people,  worth  more  than 
houses  and  lands,  silver  and  gold,  honor  and  fame,  that 
which  would  especially  be  needed  in  times  of  sorrow, 
when  all  things  else  failed,  "Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my 
peace  I  give  unto  you ;  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I 
unto  you."  Faraday,  the  great  chemist,  said,  "I  accept 
the  precious  blood  of  Christ."  Hugh  Miller,  the  noted 
geologist,  said,  "I  receive  him  who  is  the  Rock  of  Ages." 
Gladstone,  the  eminent  English  statesman,  said,  "Govern- 
ment is  but  the  translation  of  Jesus  Christ  into  human 
laws  and  institutions."  Millions  of  people  are  better 
because  Jesus  Christ  lived  and  died.  Dean  Stanley  said : 

109 


110  Master  and  His  Servant 

"You  never  get  to  the  end  of  Christ's  words.  There  is 
something  in  them  always  behind.  They  pass  into  prov- 
erbs ;  they  pass  into  laws ;  they  pass  into  doctrines ; 
they  pass  into  consolations.  But  they  never  pass  away, 
and  after  all  the  use  that  is  made  of  them,  they  are  still 
not  exhausted." 

IN  Abraham  -Lincoln's  day  it  was  certainly  a  great 
privilege  to  have  seen  and  heard  the  savior  of  his  coun- 
try, as  thousands  upon  thousands  did,  many  of  whom 
have  fallen  asleep,  while  a  large  number  remain.  His 
history  comes  down  to  us  as  a  most  blessed  treasure. 
John  E.  Burton,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  who,  when 
a  boy,  saw  and  heard  Lincoln,  and  who,  from  his  child- 
hood, has  gathered  every  printed  word  spoken  by  Lin- 
coln, and  all  Lincoln  histories  and  sketches,  until  he  has 
the  largest  Lincoln  collection  in  the  world,  numbering 
about  three  thousand  volumes  of  books  and  pamphlets, 
says,  "It  is  the  pride  of  millions  of  men  and  women  to 
say,  T  have  seen  Abraham  Lincoln  and  heard  his  voice.' 
Time  will  enhance  the  value  of  everything  he  touched, 
and  hallow  his  every  word."  Wayland  Hoyt,  D.D.,  a 
popular  author,  says,  "The  study  of  the  life  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  has  taught  me  many  things."  A  young  man 
from  southern  Ohio,  some  years  ago,  said:  "I  was  only 
a  child  when  Lincoln  died,  but  I  can  not  think  of  his 
death  without  feeling  the  same  pain  I  would  feel  if  it 
had  been  my  father.  I  never  saw  him,  and  yet  it  seems 
that  I  knew  him,  and  loved  him  personally.  I  am  sure 
I  am  a  better  man  because  Lincoln  lived.  His  straight- 
forward, simple,  truthful  life  puts  all  meaner  lives  to 
shame."  O.  H.  Oldroyd,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  editor 
of  the  "Lincoln  Memorial  Album,"  and  who  has  the 


The  Present  Age  111 

largest  collection  of  Lincoln  relics,  says:  "His  fame  is 
world-wide,  and  stands  in  history,  more  lasting  than  a 
monument  of  brass.  His  words  will  continue  to  sound 
through  the  ages  as  long  as  the  flowers  shall  bloom,  or 
the  waters  flow."  Another  writer  says :  "We  hear  Lin- 
coln's words  in  every  schoolhouse  and  college,  in  every 
cabin,  and  at  every  public  meeting.  We  read  them  in 
every  newspaper,  school  book  and  magazine,  and  they  are 
all  in  favor  of  right,  liberty  and  truth,  and  of  honesty  and 
reverence  for  God.  His  words,  some  of  them,  as  fa- 
miliar as  the  Bible,  are  on  the  tongues  of  the  people, 
shaping  the  national  character." 

Our  Opportunities. 

JESUS  said  in  substance  that  the  men  of  Nineveh,  of 
Sidon  and  Tyre,  and  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  would  have 
appreciated  the  opportunities  that  the  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees then  had.  The  old  patriarchs  and  prophets  longed 
to  see  the  coming  of  Christ,  and  would  gladly  have  ap- 
preciated the  opportunities  of  the  people  then  living,  yet 
our  opportunities  are  greater  than  those  who  lived  in 
the  days  of  Christ  on  earth.  The  gospel  of  Christ  has 
been  tried  through  the  centuries,  and  has  achieved  great 
things  for  people  and  nations.  It  comes  to  us  as  no 
vain  experiment,  but  has  been  proven  to  be  "the  power  of 
God  unto  salvation."  The  gospel  opens  to  us  great 
privileges  and  opportunities  to  do  good.  We  live  in  the 
best  age  the  world  has  ever  seen. 

YOUNG  men  of  to-day  may  think  it  a  great  privilege 
to  have  lived  in  Lincoln's  time,  and  to  have  been  a  sol- 
dier under  such  a  great  commander-in-chief,  in  such  a 
great  war,  yet,  if  properly  considered,  the  opportunities 


112  Master  and  His  Servant 

which  have  come  down  to  them  through  the  sacrifices  of 
the  great  Lincoln,  and  his  brave  soldiers,  are  greater 
than  those  of  that  day.  Emerson  said,  "America  is  but 
another  name  for  opportunity."  The  true  idea  is  to  be 
morally  brave  and  heroic  in  our  own  time,  and  go  for- 
ward in  whatever  sphere  we  may  honestly  labor,  and 
achieve  the  reward  of  a  life  spent  in  the  cause  of  "the 
patriotism  of  peace." 

Tables  Turned— No.  1. 

UP  to  the  time  of  Christ's  death  the  cross  was  a  sym- 
bol of  disgrace.  The  most  abandoned  criminals  were 
put  to  death  on  a  cross.  The  design  of  Christ's  enemies 
was  to  make  his  death  as  disgraceful  as  possible  by  cru- 
cifying him  on  a  cross.  But  Christ  made  the  cross 
glorious  by  his  death.  Its  meaning  and  associations  were 
entirely  changed.  It  is  now,  among  Christians,  the  most 
precious  emblem.  Paul  said,  "God  forbid  that  I  should 
glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  He 
did  not  mean  the  mere  material  cross,  but  Christ's  death 
on  the  cross,  and  all  that  comes  from  it.  Dr.  Talmage 
said  of  the  cross,  "Poets  have  sung  its  praise,  and  sculp- 
tors have  attempted  to  commemorate  it  in  marble,  and 
martyrs  have  clung  to  it  in  fire,  and  Christians  dying 
quietly  in  their  beds,  have  leaned  their  heads  against  it. 
May  all  our  souls  embrace  it  with  an  ecstasy  of  affec- 
tion." 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  was  assassinated  in  a  theater,  a 
place  of  ill  repute  with  a  large  class  of  religious  people. 
It  is  true  the  theater  has  a  bad  reputation  with  many, 
but  because  immoral  exhibitions  are  often  given  upon 
the  stage  does  not  render  the  theater  necessarily  immoral. 


The  Present  Age  113 

The  devil  has  a  mortgage  on  the  theater,  as  he  has  on 
many  other  otherwise  legitimate  things,  hence  the  influ- 
ence of  the  theater,  in  many  ways,  is  bad.  Life  is  a 
drama.  Shakespeare  truly  said,  "All  the  world's  a  stage, 
and  all  the  men  and  women  are  merely  players."  In 
his  seven  great  joint  debates  with  Honorable  Stephen 
A.  Douglas,  in  1858,  Mr.  Lincoln  referred  to  them,  and 
the  important  principles  discussed,  as  "the  successive 
acts  of  a  drama,  acted  in  the  face  of  the  nation,  and  to 
some  extent  in  the  face  of  the  world."  May  not  dramatic 
representations  of  even  sacred  history  become  lawful  and 
helpful  when  acted  upon  the  stage  by  living  charac- 
ters, as  well  as  illustrations  by  pictures  on  canvas,  pa- 
pers, and  in  books  ?  May  not  the  stage,  instead  of  being 
a  disgrace  to  civilization,  be  made  honorable,  and  thus 
link  the  name  of  Abraham  Lincoln  to  its  redemption? 

Tables  Turned— No.  2. 

IT  is  generally  conceded  that  the  name  "Christian" 
was  first  given  to  the  followers  of  Christ  in  derision,  and 
reproach.  'The  disciples  were  called  Christians  first  in 
Antioch."  Peter  said,  "If  any  man  suffer  as  a  Christian 
let  him  not  be  ashamed."  Again,  he  said,  "If  ye  be 
reproached  for  the  name  of  Christ  happy  are  ye."  Later 
the  followers  of  Christ  approved  the  name,  and  now,  as 
Joseph  Parker  said,  "By  Christian  we  understand  Christ 
followers,  Christ  lovers,  Christ  worshipers,  Christ- 
ones."  To-day  the  name  Christian  is  the  most  honorable 
and  sacred  name  in  all  the  world. 

IN  the  days  of  the  Civil  War  in  the  United  States  the 
followers  of  Abraham  Lincoln  were  called,  by  his  ene- 
mies, "Abolitionists,"  the  word  often  preceded  by  a  pro- 


114  Master  and  His  Servant 

fane  adjective.  They  meant  the  word  to  imply  "nigger- 
lover,"  "amalgamation,"  and  other  offensive  meanings. 
The  writer,  when  a  school  boy,  had  to  endure  some  of 
these  epithets,  because  his  father  voted  for  Lincoln,  and 
was  in  favor  of  the  prosecution  of  the  war.  To-day  the 
same  admirers  of  Lincoln  take  pleasure  in  the  name 
"Abolition,"  which  means  the  abolishment  of  the  great 
curse  of  human  slavery.  So  the  name  is  no  longer  a 
reproach. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

ULTIMATE  TRIUMPHS. 
Light  of  the  World. 

THE  light  of  the  law  shone  only  on  the  Jews.  Jesus 
said,  "I  am  the  light  of  the  world."  It  was  declared 
that  Christ  "is  the  true  light  that  lighteth  every  man  that 
cometh  into  the  world,"  both  Jews  and  Gentiles.  The 
light  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  hope  for 
this  poor  benighted  world.  It  throws  its  light  on  every 
moral  and  vital  question  affecting  individuals  and  nations. 
It  lights  up  the  grave,  and  the  vast  future  beyond  the 
grave.  "Life  and  immortality  are  brought  to  light 
through  the  gospel."  Scott,  the  eminent  commentator, 
says,  "All  other  lights  must  be  either  typical,  derived, 
or  deluding." 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  acted  as  God  gave  him  light.  The 
light  that  he  had  he  wished  all  men  to  enjoy.  Barrett 
says:  "His  fame  will  be  as  perennial  as  the  sun.  While 
liberty  lives,  this,  her  chief  martyr,  will  be  the  central 
figure  among  her  most  illustrious  devotees."  President 
Benjamin  Harrison  said,  "He  stands  like  a  great  light- 
house to  show  the  way  of  duty  to  all  his  countrymen, 
and  to  send  afar  a  gleam  of  courage  to  those  who  beat 
against  the  winds."  Bancroft,  the  historian  says,  "He 
finished  a  work  which  all  time  can  not  overthrow,"  and 
will  "be  remembered  through  all  time  by  his  countrymen, 
and  by  all  the  people  of  the  world." 

The  Greater  Union. 

CHRIST  emphasized  the  doctrine  of  union.  He  de- 
clared that  he  was  one  with  the  Father,  and  prayed  that 

115 


116  Master  and  His  Servant 

his  disciples  might  be  one.  Christ  was  greater  than  any 
sect.  Josiah  Strong  says,  "There  are  many,  in  the 
Church  as  well  as  out  of  it,  who  need  to  learn  that 
Christianity  is  neither  a  creed,  nor  a  ceremony,  but  a 
life  vitally  connected  with  a  living  Christ."  The  "signs 
of  the  times"  portend  the  organic  union  of  the  forces 
of  Christianity.  Differences  are  being  minified,  and  be- 
liefs in  common  emphasized  as  never  before.  The  moral 
and  spiritual  forces  are  becoming  cosmopolitan.  The 
World's  Missionary  Societies,  the  World's  Sunday 
School  Associations,  the  World's  Woman's  Christian 
Temperance  Unions,  and  other  world-wide  religious  or- 
ganizations, indicate  that  the  walls  of  prejudice  are 
breaking  down,  and  that  union,  cooperation,  and  fellow- 
ship are  becoming  effective  in  bringing  about  the  world's 
evangelization.  The  recent  awakening  of  the  vast  em- 
pire of  China,  turning  towards  a  republic  and  Christian 
civilization,  is  truly  marvelous. 

LINCOLN  loved  the  Union,  and  for  the  whole  Union 
he  contended  to  the  end.  He  believed  in  a  common 
brotherhood.  He  was  greater  than  any  political  party, 
greater  than  any  one  section  of  the  country.  All  parties 
of  to-day  delight  to  do  him  honor.  He  was  cosmopolitan, 
and  the  principles  of  justice,  and  the  cause  of  humanity 
as  taught  by  him  are  expanding  throughout  the  world. 
The  World's  Peace  Congress,  international  arbitration, 
along  with  world  cooperation  in  commerce,  education, 
and  religion,  will  bring  all  nations  into  a  larger  union 
and  fellowship. 

The  Good  Time  Coming. 

IT  is  declared  of  Jesus  that  "he  shall  put  down  all 
authority  and  power.  For  he  must  reign  until  he 


Ultimate  Triumphs  117 

hath  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet."  The  Scriptures 
declare  that  "the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  become 
the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord,  and  of  his  Christ" ;  "that 
every  knee  shall  bow  and  every  tongue  confess"  that 
Christ  is  Lord  of  all.  The  ultimate  design  of  the  gospel, 
with  all  its  messages  of  good  will,  is  to  bring  all  the 
powers  of  earth  into  the  kingdom  of  righteousness. 
Jesus  said,  "I  will  draw  all  men  unto  me."  Newell 
Dwight  Hillis  says,  "At  last  men  will  translate  his  spirit, 
teachings,  and  examples  into  all  activities  of  the  home, 
the  market  and  exchange.  Then  comes  that  sublime  day 
toward  which  the  whole  creation  moves."  Mr.  Spurgeon, 
the  noted  London  divine,  said :  ':'What  a  glory  will  there 
be  in  the  one  Church,  when  all  her  members  shine,  and 
all  are  one.  May  such  a  day  come  quickly.  Amen." 

'THE  great  struggle  of  to-day  is  not  altogether  for 
to-day;  it  is  for  the  vast  future  also,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln, 
as  the  war  continued.  The  tendency  of  the  times,  and 
the  logic  of  events,  indicate  the  good  time  coming  when 
there  shall  be  one  language,  one  government  with  one 
flag,  and  one  religion  with  the  banner  of  the  cross,  going 
on  before,  "conquering  and  to  conquer."  On  the  4th 
of  July,  twenty  years  after  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence was  declared,  Francis  Blake,  in  an  address  at 
Worchester,  Massachusetts,  prophesied  that  a  time  would 
come  "when  tyranny  shall  be  buried  in  ruins,  when  all 
nations  shall  be  united  in  one  mighty  republic,  when 
the  four  angels  that  stand  on  the  four  corners  of  the 
globe,  shall,  with  one  accord,  lift  up  their  voices  to 
heaven,  proclaiming,  'Peace  on  earth,  and  good  will  to 
all  men.' " 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

JUDGMENT. 
Reversal  of  Opinion. 

MANY  were  opposed  to  Christ  from  a  misappre- 
hension pf  his  nature  and  mission.  Judas  thought 
Christ  would  extricate  himself  after  he  had  betrayed 
him,  and  when  he  did  not,  he  declared  he  had  betrayed 
innocent  blood.  Pilate,  after  a  strict  examination  of 
Christ,  declared  as  his  judgment,  "I  find  no  fault  in  this 
man."  Paul,  although  he  says  he  did  "many  things  con- 
trary to  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  found  occas- 
sion  to  change  his  opinion,  and  become  the  chief  defender 
of  Christianity.  The  opinion  of  the  world  to-day  is  more 
favorable  to  Christianity  than  ever  before.  Canon  Far- 
rar  said,  "I  have  reason  to  believe  that  many  Jews  have 
long  since  learned  to  look  with  love  and  reverence  on 
Him  whom  their  fathers  rejected;  nay,  more,  that  many 
of  them,  convinced  by  the  irrefragible  logic  of  his  history, 
have  openly  acknowledged  that  he  was  their  promised 
Messiah." 

LINCOLN  felt  that  he  knew  the  sentiments  of  the 
masses,  but  he  feared,  as  he  said,  that  many  would  mis- 
understand him,  and  that  they  would  be  misled.  He 
had  many  bitter  enemies,  but  the  South  now  vindicates 
Lincoln,  and  the  sweetest  fellowship  prevails  between 
the  North  and  the  South,  cemented  with  the  blood  of 
Lincoln.  The  sons  of  the  South  recognize  the  mistake 
of  their  fathers,  and  realize  the  greatness  and  goodness 

118 


Judgment  119 

of  that  unique  man  of  American  history  whom  all  nations 
call  statesman,  hero,  and  martyr. 

The  Exalted  Name. 

PAUL,  in  speaking  of  the  name  of  Christ,  said,  "God 
hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name  which 
is  above  every  name."  The  name  of  Jesus  Christ  stands 
highest  in  the  scroll  of  fame  and  honor.  Jean  Paul 
Richter  said,  "He,  the  holiest  man  among  the  mighty, 
and  the  mightest  man  among  the  holy,  has  lifted  with 
his  pierced  hands  empires  off  their  hinges,  and  turned 
the  streams  of  history  out  of  its  channel,  and  still  gov- 
erns the  ages."  One  has  said:  "The  hoary  centuries  are 
full  of  him.  The  echoes  of  his  sweet  voice  are  heard 
to-day.  His  love  has  perfumed  the  past  eighteen  hundred 
years,  and  he  lives  to-day  as  the  head  of  his  Church.  He 
lives  to-day,  the  object  of  the  warmest  adoration,  the 
most  passionate  love,  for  whom  millions  would  die  at  this 
very  hour.  Empires  have  fallen,  thrones  have  crumbled ; 
but  Jesus  lives,  his  empire  extending  every  day,  his 
throne  gaining  new  trophies  of  his  grace." 

BEFORE  President  Lincoln  issued  the  Emancipation 
Proclamation,  Honorable  Owen  Lovejoy  said  in  Con- 
gress: "If  Abraham  Lincoln  pursues  the  path  evidently 
pointed  out  for  him  in  the  providence  of  God,  as  I  be- 
lieve he  will,  then  he  will  occupy  the  proud  position  I 
have  indicated.  That  is  fame  worth  living  for,  ay,  more, 
that  is  fame  worth  dying  for,  though  that  death  lead 
through  the  blood  of  Gethsemane,  and  the  agony  of  the 
accursed  tree."  Bishop  Newman  said:  "There  is  no 
name  more  deserving  of  imperishable  fame  than  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  He  is.  embalmed  in  song,  recorded  in  his- 


120  Master  and  His  Servant 

tory,  eulogized  in  panegyric,  cast  in  bronze,  sculptured 
in  marble,  painted  on  canvas,  enshrined  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen,  and  lives  in  the  memories  of  man- 
kind." The  Honorable  Henry  Watterson  says,  "A  thou- 
sand years  hence  no  story,  no  tragedy,  no  epic  poem 
will  be  .filled  with  greater  wonder  than  that  which  tells 
of  his  life  and  death." 

The  Grand  Review. 

THE  period  will  come  when  the  long  warfare  against 
sin  will  be  at  an  end.  The  soldiers  in  the  army  under  the 
blood-stained  banner  of  Jesus,  the  Captain  of  our  salva- 
tion, shall  gain  the  victory  through  "great  tribulations." 
A  great  multitude,  which  no  man  can  number,  of  all 
nations,  kindred  and  people,  shall  gather  in  the  New 
Jerusalem,  the  capital  of  the  universe.  They  shall  be 
clothed  in  robes  of  righteousness,  and  shall  carry  palms 
of  victory,  crying,  "Salvation  to  our  God  who  sitteth 
upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb."  The  angelic 
spectators,  standing  around  the  throne,  shall  join  in  the 
grand  triumphal  chorus,  "Amen,  blessing  and  glory,  and 
wisdom,  and  thanksgiving,  and  honor  and  power,  and 
might  be  unto  our  God  forever  and  ever."  And  unto 
Jesus  shall  "ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thou- 
sands of  thousands"  join  in  a  loud  voice,  saying,  "Worthy 
is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches, 
and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and 
blessing."  To  all  loyal  soldiers  of  Jesus,  the  Judge  or 
the  universe  shall  say,  "Enter  thou  into  the  joys  of  thy 
Lord." 

AT  the  close  of  the  Rebellion  two  hundred  thousand 
Union    soldiers   gathered    at   Washington,    the    national 


Judgment  121 

capital,  for  a  grand  review.  They  came  from  the  North, 
the  South,  the  East,  and  the  West.  They  had  fought 
in  many  a  battle.  The  long  struggle  was  at  an  end,  and 
the  Lincoln  soldiers,  who  had  marched  under  the  Stars 
and  Stripes,  were  going  home  to  enjoy  the  rich  inheritance 
which  they  had  so  faithfully  achieved.  The  soldiers  were 
in  uniform,  and  were  under  perfect  control,  and  carried 
hundreds  of  battle  flags  and  banners.  Miss  Ida  M.  Tar- 
bell  says,  in  McClure's  Magazine,  "The  pageant  was  by 
far  the  noblest  this  land  has  ever  seen."  A  great  throng 
had  gathered  to  witness  the  parade.  They  were  spell- 
bound watching,  hour  after  hour,  the  great  blue  masses 
passing  like  the  waves  of  the  ocean. 

The  Master  Rewards  His  Servant. 

THE  late  Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler  said  in  a  sermon  on 
Lincoln  shortly  after  his  death :  "Methinks  that  I  behold 
the  spirit  of  the  great  Liberator  in  that  judgment  scene, 
before  the  assembled  hosts  of  heaven.  Around  him  are 
the  tens  of  thousands  from  whom  he  struck  the  oppres- 
sor's chain.  Methinks  I  hear  their  grateful  voices  ex- 
claim, 'We  were  ahungered,  and  thou  gavest  us  the  bread 
of  truth;  we  were  thirsty  for  liberty,  and  thou  gavest 
us  drink;  we  were  strangers,  and  thou  didst  take  us  in; 
we  were  sick  with  two  centuries  of  sorrow,  and  thou 
didst  visit  us;  we  were  in  the  prison  house  of  bondage, 
and  thou  earnest  unto  us.'  And  the  King  shall  say  unto 
him,  'Inasmuch  as  thou  hast  done  it  unto  the  least  of  these 
my  brethren,  thou  hast  done  it  unto  me.  Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant,  enter  into  the  joy  of  the 
Lord/  " 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

GOLDEN  WORDS  OF  THE  MASTER  AND   HIS 

SERVANT. 

Search  the  scriptures;  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have 
eternal  life;  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me. — 
John  5  :39. 

I  am  profitably  engaged  in  reading  the  Bible.  Take 
all  of  this  book  upon  reason  that  you  can,  and  the  balance 
on  faith,  and  you  will  live  and  die  a  better  man. — To 
Joshua  Speed. 

He  hath  sent  me  to     .     .  .     preach   deliverance  to 

the  captives,     .     .     .     and  to  set  at  liberty  them  that 

are  bruised.     This  day  is  this  scripture  fulfilled. — Luke 
4:18,  21. 

I  do  order  and  declare  that  all  persons  held  as  slaves 
within  said  designated  States  and  parts  of  States  are, 
and  henceforth  shall  be  free. — Proclamation,  January 
1,  1863. 

< 

Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  farthing?  and  one  of 
them  shall  not  fall  to  the  ground  without  your  Father. 
But  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear 
ye  not  therefore,  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  spar- 
rows.—Matt.  10:29,  30,  31. 

He  notes  the  fall  of  a  sparrow,  and  numbers  the  hairs 
of  our  heads,  and  will  not  forget  the  dying  man  who 
puts  his  trust  in  Him. — Written  to  his  dying  father, 
through  John  Johnston,  1851. 

122 


Golden  Words  123 

Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your  Father  who  is 
in  heaven  is  perfect. — Matt.  5  :48. 

The  Savior,  I  suppose,  did  not  expect  that  any  human 
creature  could  be  perfect  as  the  Father  in  heaven.  He 
set  that  up  as  a  standard,  and  he  who  did  most  toward 
reaching  that  standard  attained  the  highest  degree  of 
moral  perfection. — Speech  at  Chicago,  July  10,  1858. 

A  good  man  out  of  the  treasure  of  the  heart  bringeth 
forth  good  things. — Matt.  12:35. 

That  which  constitutes  the  inside  of  a  gentleman  I 
hope  I  understand,  and  am  not  less  inclined  to  practice 
than  others. — Speech  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  July  17, 
1858. 

Every  kingdom  divided  against  itself  is  brought  to 
desolation ;  and  every  city  or  house  divided  against  itself 
shall  not  stand.— Matt.  12:25. 

I  believe  this  government  can  not  endure  half  slave 
and  half  free.  I  do  not  expect  the  Union  to  be  dis- 
solved— I  do  not  expect  the  house  to  fall — but  I  expect 
it  will  cease  to  be  divided. — Speech  at  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, July  10,  1858. 

Be  ye  also  ready ;  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not 
the  Son  of  man  cometh. — Matt.  24 :  44. 

If  he  has  a  place  and  work  for  me,  and  I  think  he  has, 
I  believe  I  am  ready. — To  Hon.  Newton  Bateman,  1860. 

What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now ;  but  thou  shalt  know 
hereafter. — John  13  :7. 


124  Master  and  His  Servant 

The  purposes  of  the  Almighty  are  perfect,  and  must 
prevail,  though  we  erring  mortals  may  fail  to  accurately 
perceive  them  in  advance. — Letter  to  Mrs.  Gurney,  1864. 

He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against  me,  and  he  that 
gathereth  not  with  me  scattereth  abroad. — Matt.  12:30. 

It  is  my  constant  anxiety  and  prayer  that  I  and  this 
nation  shall  be  on  the  Lord's  side.- -To  a  clergyman. 

I  seek  not  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  the  Father 
who  sent  me. — John  5  :30. 

It  is  my  earnest  desire  to  know  the  will  of  Providence 
in  this  matter,  and  if  I  can  learn  what  it  is  I  will  do  it.- 
To  a  Chicago  Religious  Delegation,  in  1862. 

Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest. — Matt.  1 1 :28. 

I  have  been  driven  many  times  to  my  knees  by  the 
overwhelming  conviction  that  I  had  nowhere  else  to  go. 

Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do 
ye  also  to  them. — Matt.  7:12. 

I  shall  do  nothing  in  malice.  What  I  deal  with  is  too 
vast  for  malicious  dealing. — Letter  to  Mr.  Bullitt,  1862. 

Every  idle  word  that  men  shall  speak  they  shall  give 
an  account  thereof  in  the  day  of  judgment.  For  by  thy 
words  thou  shalt  be  justified,  and  by  thy  words  thou 
shalt  be  condemned. — Matt.  12:36,  37. 

In  times  like  the  present,  men  should  utter  nothing  for 
which  they  would  not  willingly  be  responsible  through 


Golden  Words  125 

time    and    eternity. — Message    to    Congress,    December, 
1862. 

If  thy  brother  trespass  against  thee,  rebuke  him,  and 
if  he  repent,  forgive  him. — Luke  17:  3. 

I  am  a  patient  man — always  willing  to  forgive  on  the 
Christian  terms  of  repentance,  and  also  to  give  ample 
time  for  repentance. — Letter  to  a  Friend  in  Louisiana, 
1862. 

The  sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the 
sabbath,  therefore  the  Son  of  man  is  Lord  of  the  sab- 
bath.—Mark  2  -.27,  28. 

The  importance  for  man  and  beast  of  the  prescribed 
weekly  rest,  the  sacred  rights  of  Christian  soldiers  and 
sailors,  a  becoming  deference  to  the  best  sentiments  of 
a  Christian  people,  and  a  due  regard  to  the  Divine  will, 
demand  that  Sunday  labor  in  the  army  and  navy  be  re- 
duced to  the  measure  of  strict  necessity. — Ordered  No- 
vember 16,  1862. 

The  Son  of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy  men's  lives 
but  to  save  them. — Luke  9:56. 

It  makes  me  feel  rested  after  a  hard  day's  work  if  I 
can  find  some  excuse  to  save  a  man's  life.-  -To  Honorable 
Schuyler  Col  fax. 

When  thou  prayest  enter  into  thy  closet,  and  when 
thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  which  is  in 
secret ;  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward 
thee  openly. — Matt.  6:6. 


126  Master  and  His  Servant 

I  went  into  my  room  one  day  and  locked  the  door,  and 
got  down  on  my  knees  before  God,  and  prayed  to  him 
mightily  for  victory  at  Gettysburg.  .  .  .  And  after 
that,  soon  a  sweet  comfort  crept  into  my  soul,  that 
things  would  go  right  at  Gettysburg. — To  General 
Sickles,  July,  1863. 

Ye    are   the   light   of   the   world.     .     .     .     Let   your 
light  so  shine  before  men  that  they  may  see  your  good 
works,  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven.— 
Matt.  5 :  14,  16. 

We  can  not  escape  history.  We  of  this  Congress  and 
this  administration  will  be  remembered  in  spite  of  our- 
selves. .  .  .  The  fiery  trial  through  which  we  pass 
will  light  us  down,  in  honor  or  dishonor,  to  the  latest 
generation. — Message  to  Congress,  December,  1862. 


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